No Kau a Kau (For Eternity)
by Irene Claire
Summary: "Extinguish my eyes, I'll go on seeing you. Seal my ears, I'll go on hearing you. And without feet I can make my way to you ... " A one-time obsessed fan from Kono's surfing past comes unexpectedly back into her life with some very personal motives. Team Fic. Danny Whump. Angst/Hurt/Comfort/Friendship.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**_Notes_**: the mammoth begins .. be warned that this will not be posted daily. The story is 99.9% complete but the muses are somewhat displeased over chapters here and there. I can't thank a series of very special people quite enough for their support, advice and help. KQ, CinderH, TheDogo and JazzieG - no matter how minor you THINK your contribution is, it's so much more. Thank you!

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

_"Extinguish my eyes, I'll go on seeing you._

_Seal my ears, I'll go on hearing you._

_And without feet I can make my way to you,_

_without a mouth I can swear your name._

_Break off my arms, I'll take hold of you_

_with my heart as with a hand._

_Stop my heart, and my brain will start to beat._

_And if you consume my brain with fire,_

_I'll feel you burn in every drop of my blood." _

_― Rainer Maria Rilke_

**Chapter One: _No Kau a Kau ~ For Eternity _**

It had started, in his opinion, like any other teenaged crush. Except, she had been barely twelve and nothing but a vibrant spot of laughter which carried with it the promise of sun and fresh tropical breezes. He had been seventeen, soon to be eighteen, and entirely impressed with himself. With a promise of a dark-skinned exotic handsomeness, back then he had been all arms and legs. At most, awkwardly gawky and completely unremarkable.

He had been just another one of the many other rowdy local natives who toyed with gangs and looked for both trouble and an unlimited amount of very bad … _fun_.

He had certainly noticed her, but he hadn't been anything like her real friends. No matter their age difference, he had been nothing like anyone she might even wanted to be around with his loud-mouthed opinions, cigarettes, overly arrogant attitude, and attention-seeking antics; some of which had brought down some very real trouble on his young head.

Trouble that had never crossed her path because one, she would always simply be on an entirely different plane of existence. And two, because any of her over protective cousins would never, _ever_, have permitted any form of unpleasantness to stain her sunny smile.

There was a third valid reason, too. But over time, he hadn't cared much for his friends' lascivious opinions as he openly stared at the nubile waif on the beach. The _child_ who could always surf better than any single one of his friends, hands down. No contest.

Making her even more unattainable was her world class junior level surfer status. _Status_ being the operative word. She had an entourage which included photographers and a field of professional sports journalists. A bevy of pedestrian wannabes had always followed in her sandy footsteps. Most were young girls and not yet even nine or ten years old with dreams of being like their favorite sun-swept superstar. Until that day dawned though, they followed avidly, gawking and begging for autographs or the occasional picture.

Secretly at first, because his friends would have made fun of him, he wanted to be among _them_. He craved and yet hid his yearnings to _be_ one of _them_. He had wanted to get close enough for an autograph, for a picture and to have dared touch her arm. He had even ridiculously dreamed of even carrying her surfboard.

Utterly. With no doubt. Ridiculous.

She had been more than competent and quite capable of doing anything with a professional, confident ease. As the local townie boy, merely known as Cristo in the poor neighborhood he came from, he had been a complete _nothing_.

Sure he could surf, and he had even been considered to be very good, though not enough to compete. Because of that, he hadn't been in her league and not even close to being on her radar.

He would have denied and even lied that he had tried to get close to her. Denied sending her small childish gifts of stuffed toys or a pretty lei. Denied down to his very soul that he'd ever sent anonymous birthday presents once he'd discovered her special day.

But the truth was that he'd done all of those things once, or maybe even twice. He had tried to get her attention when his own pack of loosely-defined set of friends weren't looking. He had _tried_ a number of things as she accelerated through the competitive surfing ranks and his enamored feelings kept pace whenever the one-off opportunity presented itself.

There had been a few times when he'd gotten lucky. He'd focused solely on his prize and he'd sworn that she had looked at him each of those times and all of heaven had stopped in its tracks. She'd looked at _him_ and special moments had been shared to be captured in time within her soft smile and beautiful youthful eyes.

He carried those shared treasures with him and over the years, these gifts had morphed and had become so much more. They had shared a bond.

Those blind moments of luck had become a fine appreciation and then evolved into adoration. His adoration blossomed and grew to become a larger sense of an overwhelming infatuation. His existence was the textbook birth of a dangerous obsessive psychopath.

His own heart had broken and he had cried with her the day her career ended. By then, she was nearly a woman and it was too late for him to turn away since he'd fallen for her completely. She had lost half of herself though when a catastrophic accident of human flesh pounding against the sheer will and strength of a wall of water took away her radiance. And at first, he had felt that keen loss with her. He had raged as she must have against the unfairness of what had been taken away from her … and then subsequently from him.

But then he had realized that her failure ... her loss ... had only leveled his playing field. The accident had changed her, but over time, Cristo found a new way to reverently place her on a different pedestal; one that he could now converge with.

In the past though, because of his festering flux of young passion, he had continually dared to lurk near her in the hospital even after the media had begun to drift away. He had hated the media for it. He had hated _them_ for their typical pattern copied throughout their oftentimes uncaring hounding profession which required them to chase after others who were now celebrating and coming to the fore in a one-time champion's dismally sad wake.

So, he stayed as best as he could manage because he couldn't so blindly walk away from her as they had so caustically done. Dedicated to his very core, he had lurked and more gifts had eventually followed: anonymous bouquets of flowers at first lost amongst those from avid admirers and well-wishers. But there had been a point where that hadn't been enough.

As more left her side and she seemed more approachable, he had finally gathered his courage to truly visit her. Face to face. Eye to eye and dressed in his finest clothes. With a riot of priceless tropical flowers clenched within a trembling damp hand; he had vowed that he would really _see_ her and announce his unfailing love.

He clearly remembered that day; it was something he could never forget. His normally young dusky face had reddened in blotchy rash-like patches and he'd started sweating heavily under his most expensive dress shirt. Breathless in his excitement he had entered the hospital's elevator and had gone to her floor. He had gone but ultimately had indeed lost his courage only four steps from the elevator doors as they softly closed behind him and he saw _them_. Faster than he could think, breathless had become a panicked hyperventilation. In a frightened confusion, he had lingered outside the elevators closest to her hospital room as bits of pink petals fell to the floor when he strayed in a nervous uncertain circle, only able to watch from afar.

Her family had been respectfully boisterous as they mingled in her doorway that day - supportive and yet sad as their tiny protege lost her future. Their stalwart presence had dashed his courage to leave him skulking once more amongst shadows; always too afraid to speak or introduce himself despite his faith in their future together.

His learnings that day had been harsh because he had made too many mistakes. Mistakes that had caused others to notice him more than he had once assumed. His face had flushed more as her cousins turned his way, curious of his odd behavior and unexpected arrival. Shushed comments had been whispered, shared and then he had no where to go as one in particular descended upon him in the hallway.

As her primary protector, Chin Ho Kelly had noticed him over the years. Kelly had noticed him on the beach, at the surfing competitions and had established a file of sorts against him which had deemed him unworthy. Though proof had been at best slim in many instances, he had also been closely watched … monitored … and managed. Making matters worse, his early gang history had been called to the fore.

Wrongly thinking himself as having been invisible, he had been only too naive and much too unaware of her cop cousin's wrath and suspicions as to where some of her anonymous gifts had originated. So on that treacherous day, he had been questioned in the hallway of the hospital and subsequently removed from the premises as his bouquet left an ugly scatter of torn yellow and pink blooms across the cold linoleum floor.

No one would listen. No one cared. In that instant, he had learned that certain fingers pointed towards him -_ and rightly so_ - for certain anonymous gifts inappropriate for a child.

Though he had colored at the angry allegations, he'd wisely held his tongue because neither this cousin nor his HPD counterparts had any real proof. They had suppositions, sketchy statements and suspicions, yet no actual confirmation of his supposed wrong-doings. Hurtfully in the end, he had been removed from the hospital grounds for what appeared to be the guilt of his mere existence. Distressingly, he had heard ugly words whispered in his direction such as pedophile, voyeur and stalker.

He had been _noticed_ in all the wrong ways and everything had been added up to equal what seemed to be an unseemly predilection of a twenty-two year old man to have for a young slip of a sixteen year old girl.

Now, twelve years later with the blessed heat of his long-missed Hawaiian sun blazing soothingly on his broad back, he had come home.

"Those days are over," he whispered angrily under his breath as his bare feet bore into the hot sand. He had returned because a youthful infatuation had never waned and he had never given up his own hope. If anything, his desires were now an insipid obsession and was being forced to revisit that special sense of fate which demanded they share the remainder of their lives happily together. Without her in his life, he was being sorely tested as seasons moved with their excruciating sameness from one to the other.

Pushing his sudden surge of anger rudely down, he heaved in a deep breath. At the mature age of thirty-four, he was fit and handsome. He was _someone_ in the world and he possessed the prestige to prove it. His toes curled in the heat of the sand as his bare back crisped as if scalded and sweat beaded his forehead. Even wearing sunglasses, his eyes were squinting towards the white sheen of the ocean where two heads bobbed in cadence.

"Finally," he murmured, focusing on one particular dark-head in spite of the hot trickle of sweat tickling his cheek. With an ease born of innate skill, he automatically racked his sunglasses to the top of his head and raised his camera to his face. He sighted and then zoomed tightly in on his sole subject. The rapid patter of the shutter clicking matched his escalating heartbeat, thrumming in time to the pulse in his neck.

He still owned his private collection of her photographs, old news articles and magazine features. Old VHS videos taped from multiple interviews and appearances were catalogued by year, month and day in his personal library. He planned to move those to a more modern technology in order to better preserve their importance. Regardless, he knew each of her competitions by heart and could rattle off the scores of her best events, along with the weather conditions from that day no matter the year.

Despite the ample size of his collection, his own photographs which began as distant, grainy earnest attempts, remained his favorites. However, he barely acknowledged that his passion for her had in fact, defined his professional career as a world-renowned photojournalist. He had become precisely one of those he had once so learned to despise for abandoning her in her time of need. He had made his own career by chasing seemingly unattainable stars. For the last twelve years he had established a new persona through photography and had been stunningly successful. He no longer needed to run or hide, or even convince himself that he might want to forget her. Instead, he had remained determined to come home; to _have_ a real home with a beautiful and loving wife.

Tall and remarkably handsome, he now also had money, a modicum of culture and a tangible prestige … and he still had his first beloved _passion_. So he had made an initial call from the mainland to a particular real estate agent. The daft woman, Jayne Yee, was a romantic and swooned in delight over mention of a fiancé and locating a blessed home as a special wedding gift. Within fifteen short days of his initial query, she'd conjured three likely options and he'd greedily accepted the first for its private beachfront acre of privacy and for the layout which met other very specific needs.

As he settled into his new lifestyle and prepared for his love's arrival, he found himself unable to quaff older habits. Just weeks after setting foot on Oahu, he had easily found her on the beach and had stared in awe because she was just as beautiful as the first time he'd ever seen her ride the ocean.

Unable to help himself, he had spontaneously purchased an anonymous bouquet of her favorite tropical flowers. With old connections newly forged, he had gotten her home address and had the healthy blooms sent directly to her doorstep. Then he had waited nearly a month to send another bouquet daringly to her office. He aimed to woo and not reveal his hand too early, so he was excruciatingly careful as he executed each of his moves.

His third gift was fairly recent and mimicked one of old: a stuffed teddy bear holding a plush red heart in its paws which he had left on the hood of her car. Scarcely a week earlier, and with no one looking, he had adroitly left the toy sit in the heat of the sun while she surfed. Placed_ just so_ nearest the windshield so she would find it before driving away. Having faith with a pleased confidence that she would remember a nearly identical teddy bear which he'd sent to her for her fourteenth birthday.

Now, the sun continued to blaze unrelentingly down on his back as he stood boldly on the beach, in plain view, mere steps from where he'd placed his chair and cooler neatly on the sand.

"Kono," he whispered softly, a smile dancing in his eyes which were hidden behind his camera. He stood there, watching her surf for the sport's sheer enjoyment …. and it seemed … his.

The gold necklace he'd purchased at the jewelry store the night before was boring a vicious hole in his pocket. He planned to mail this much more expensive gift privately to her home that very afternoon and for the first time, truly wished he could bear witness to her joy.

"So pretty," he murmured. She was smiling and laughing with a youngster's ease and it moved him on a deeply emotional level. Turning slightly to the right, he paused to settle his breathing before he could unsling his camera from his shoulder in order to begin taking a series of photographs. The repetitive and familiar motion soothed his mind and helped him to focus. These first few images meant nothing and would be disposed of until he panned back to where she was demonstrating something to her blonde-haired haole surfing student.

"Stupid useless haole," he snorted in absolute disgust as he switched to the second camera slung around his neck to sight his object. "You're wasting her time."

The blonde man was fit but a pathetic novice. Still, he felt an odd jolt of jealousy as the two sat shoulder to shoulder out on the waves much too long and far too companionably for his liking. There was even a flare of anger aimed at Kono for her near-jilting of himself, because they were meant to be together. His gifts to her were testament of that love. But for now, he would forgive her that initial transgression. He would stuff that feeling of resentment down and away.

"He's wasting your time … so pathetic. You're much too special, Kono," he breathed out happily. "You would make anyone boring and ordinary."

As a professional photojournalist, he had his preferred equipment for any particular job at hand. With him on the beach, he had two high end digital cameras in hand with four particular lenses. Another and more specialized camera - his favorite and most expensive by far - sat safely stowed in his truck. Without pause, he zoomed in so tightly only she existed in the frame as he quickly took picture after picture to swell his heart with pride. He imagined that she was looking at him even though she was spotting her intended path towards the beach if she decided upon the next set of waves.

"Hands off," he muttered as his smile fled his face to be replaced by a hateful sneer. He used the zoom lens to focus sharply on the man and then bounce back to her. Hidden behind his camera, anger suffused his eyes as the blonde drifted close to touch her gently on the shoulder. He was disappointed that she didn't evade the touch and his ire grew.

Now knee to knee, the haole leaned awkwardly into Kono. Touching and bantering to make her laugh soundlessly over the waves and sea birds. If not for the din of the ocean, he would have heard her lilting tones as she grabbed the mainlander's hand to playfully almost upend his seat on the surfboard. Instead he could only watch their dance, imagine their laughter, and feel his anger settle deeply in his chest.

"That will have to end," he growled low and dangerously. They had both matured and she was finally ready for him. There was no doubt in his mind of that lovely fact which would achieve their ultimate fate of being together.

There was no media nor hangers-on to foil their destiny. No cousins or meddlesome coaches. After all the passage of time, there was no one left to block his way. No one except maybe one lousy mainlander student who represented little in the way of anything materially important.

"You still have it," he whispered under his breath as she began to paddle leaving the haole behind to woefully bob in place. "Just gorgeous."

He smiled in appreciation while taking more pictures as she attacked her chosen wave with an angelic ease. Once more, his powerful zoom lens only had eyes for her breathtaking beauty. For a moment, he was uncaring of any attention he might draw to himself. He laughed out loud in pure enjoyment as she completed her run only to turn back towards the sea for more.

She and her student seemed to be in for the long haul that perfect Saturday and so, he finally took a seat in his lounge chair. He buried his feet in the sand after he stretched his long legs comfortably out in front of him to enjoy his view.

"It's good to be home," he grinned softly as he shaded his eyes once more as if panning the horizon when in reality, he only had one sun-dripped silhouette in his line of sight.

He was home and he was finally ready to recapture Kona Kalakaua's very heart.

**_~ to be continued ~_**


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

_**Notes**_: now, who said there was no Danny whump? LOL! And so, it begins ... I am admitting issues with getting personally back to each of your generous reviews. I'll do my best to catch up! But seriously - thank you all!

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter Two: ****_No Kau a Kau ~ For Eternity_**

Danny cupped one hand to shield his sight from the glare of the sun as it glinted off the water. His eyes narrowed even more within their painful squint when he came to the conclusion that he was indeed seeing the same lone figure on the beach. There was a moment in time when the man was hidden by a rising swell. But each time the wave crashed to the shore, he was visible again and Danny found himself cursing under his breath.

"What the hell does he want?" He griped as the first stirrings of a real temper bubbled to the surface.

"He's a nobody, Danny," Kono sighed, her smile momentarily falling away as she followed her friend's one-handed gesture. "He's just a photographer."

His chuffed blustery rebuttal of disgusted sound made her smile return and she poked Danny in the shoulder teasingly. "Forget him, brah!"

"I don't like it," Danny remarked from where he bobbed on his surfboard in the ever-roughening surf. He and Kono had been surfing together almost every weekend for two months and the same man was once again, loitering on their beach. With an obvious distrust, Danny eyed the man's tall silhouette as a familiar blue cooler, a single beach chair and small rectangular black case made their way into view.

Shielding his eyes again with his hand, his gaze wandered up to the distant parking lot and he grimaced in distaste at the white SUV which also seemed too close to Kono's small red car. Though he and Kono were admittedly very far away, Danny had mentally tagged the SUV as belonging to the intrusive stranger. His angle was entirely wrong, but for some reason it seemed as if the large SUV was intentionally towering over the smaller vehicle making it appear oddly diminutive and inferior.

"I want to question him and find out what he's doing here," Danny reiterated, fingers from both hands now interlaced as a shield over his forehead against the sun so he could better see the beach. "Something doesn't feel right. I don't like it."

"I know you don't _like_ him," Kono amended his comment while shaking her head in frustration. Danny's inborn penchant to forever be the detective even while sitting on a surfboard in the middle of a rising ocean was nothing short of astonishing.

"But seriously? You want to question a tourist? On our day-off, Danny?" Next to him, Kono laughed outright to lighten his mood and she intentionally nearly unseated him from his board with a friendly shove. "It's a free beach, brah! Let's have some fun before the weather changes."

Pushed off-balance, Danny teetered dangerously until his hands found purchase on his surfboard. In truth, Kono wasn't too happy either, especially since a few anonymous gifts had so recently shown up on her proverbial doorstep. She now found herself frowning for a long moment as Danny vocalized the very thought since she'd been wary enough to broach the subject to not only Chin, but also to Danny and Steve.

"Yes, I'm serious!" He raised his finger in warning at her antics to remind her of those recent strange events. But below his board, Danny registered the change in water temperature as the wind altered direction. The change was disconcerting as the heat of the day baked his upper body, yet conversely cold water swirled around his legs and feet. Still, he was upset and determined to make his point definitive enough to drive it home.

"This is literally the third or fourth time I've noticed him. Plus, those so-called _gifts? _Both could be from this guy."

"A stuffed teddy bear? Come on; it was probably left on my car as a stupid mistake by some _lolo_ kid! You worry too much, Spidey," she teased. "He's only a photographer. He's a grown man, not some kid, and he's standing right there in the open." Kono grinned as Danny wavered awkwardly in place when a larger set of swells flowed around them to crest high before smashing into the shoreline.

She felt the changes too and nodded at his sudden quizzical look. The weather was fickle and clouds were dark on the horizon. Despite the lack of a weather report, a storm was churning up the ocean and sending darker water towards them. She nodded at the distant separation of water and sky now clearly remarked by black clouds in order to argue her own stance on not wanting to discuss the subject of the stranger on the beach. "Take a look out there on the horizon. It's the waves you need to focus on, brah, and not some guy taking scenic pictures ."

For the second time in almost one month, Danny had been going complaining about this one particular man who seemed to show up every single time they surfed together. But where he'd eased up at her past gentle prodding, he was now refusing to smile, let alone laugh.

"Come on." Kono sobered briefly with a loud, but somewhat petulant sigh. "Danny, we're on a tropical island and some of the best photographers in the world come here to take pictures," she patiently repeated around his ever-growing worried grumbling. "It doesn't make sense for this guy to be the one sending me a stupid teddy bear."

"Okay. What about the flowers though?" Danny argued, daring her to find a valid reason to not consider the possibility.

"Oh please. So what!" Kono bit back, her eye roll indicating a growing level of impatience as their conversation nearly became a shouting match. "That happened over a month ago and absolutely nothing came of it! Anyway, do you think I haven't gotten flowers or anonymous gifts before?"

"No! Not like that!" Danny's expression was entirely unhappy, completely distrustful of the situation on her behalf.

"Well, I have and it actually happened a lot when I used to surf," Kono stated adamantly. She was angry now, falling back on her successful past to prove her point the only way she knew how. "I let Chin take care of most of the things I got; I honestly didn't know half of the people who gave me a cute toy or keepsake. When things got out of hand, Chin donated the best toys to the hospital or took them into HPD for Child Protective Services."

She knew that Danny understood her past. But what he didn't seem to get was the prolonged fifteen minutes of proverbial fame that had come along with it. She had been better than good, and so had a fair amount of groupies in her wake. She had a legion of photographers taking not only her picture, but pictures of her competition. All of that had been part of her normal and she'd learn to ignore the chaos for her greater cause: a chance to grab the golden ring.

So yes, because of her rampant successes, she had received a number of wildly outrageous gifts during her younger competitive years. While she had appreciated each one of those old presents, she now discounted her recent receipt of tropical flowers as a complete mistake and certainly not something gifted to her by a total stranger on a pretty beach. In fact, she was now very sorry for having ever discussed the subject with her teammates; especially Danny who persistently seemed agitated at every odd juncture.

"But this guy? No. He's just a scenic photographer," Kono chided. She groaned under her breath as she watched his jaw sternly set against her words. He had a bone and was tenaciously determined to chew its ends off until they were worn nubs. "Leave him be, Danny. It's the weekend and we're off duty … let's just enjoy the day, brah. Please."

Her pleas and reasons were incredibly sound. Having grown up on Oahu, she had been exposed to the endless numbers of visiting tourists, enthralled photographers and artists of many kinds as a daily occurrence. As such, she also discounted the lone photographer as her eyes settled on the rising tide which would give her improving student a very real issue for his last set of the day.

"Besides, with the storm coming in, the lighting's probably perfect for any photographer to want to be out here," Kono added, gesturing now to another avid photographer setting up a tripod closer to the parking lot in order to capture a darkening horizon spatially front-lit by bright sunshine. However, others were leaving the beach in droves and only very few, like themselves, were currently still on the water biding their time with a justified caution.

"I'm telling you that he's different, Kono. Something's not quite right." Danny wasn't listening though; not entirely. An utter look of displeasure remained plastered across his face. It darkened his features and was testament to a growing, over-protective temper. "There are other beaches. Why does it have to be this one or even the last one we were at together?"

"You know what? I'm hungry." Voice sounding almost bored, Kono floated closer to pull Danny into a one-armed sloppy hug that sent him scrabbling for purchase as he wavered off-balance. She laughed as he finally regained not only his grin, but also his seat on his new surfboard.

"Come on, brah, you seriously worry too much. Like I said before, it's a free beach and he's no one we need to worry about," Kono smiled happily as she glanced over her shoulder to eye what could be their final set of the day. "What we need to do, is get off the water before you get in over your head. I think I saw a flash of lightening."

"Right. And you're hungry," Danny chuffed in somewhat better humor as he gazed intently at the lone male figure who he swore was now brazenly taking photos of them. Or if he listened to Kono and gave the man the benefit of the doubt, he was taking pictures of the impressively dark sky which was coming closer minute by minute. Or - and Danny's eyes squinted, honing in on the dark silhouette which had ambled much closer to the water's edge - taking pictures just of Kono as she paddled ahead to setup for the next rollers. Mistrust rose quickly causing his brief bout of humor to flee as he pensively eyed the man's posture and line of sight.

"Shit," he whispered. His eyes flew from Kono to the photographer and Danny paused even longer until a skywards flash of eery light rattled his senses and he jolted in a surprised reaction.

"Danny, get a move on!" Kono was far away now and literally screaming at him to move. The lightening was obvious then and he was startled from his personal reflections. The surf had increased exponentially under his board from the looming storm threat. He could definitely feel it and if he delayed any longer, he would absolutely be in over his head in more ways than one. Setting his jaw angrily, Danny sighted the tall silhouette out of habit anyway, cursing under his breath when the camera deliberately swung towards Kono.

"Damn it," he breathed out before trying to focus on his task at hand to avoid personal disaster. He would have a real challenge getting in to the beach without an added distraction based on the cold water co-mingling now more actively with what had once been nothing but warm. The seas were churning and bringing in colder, deeper tides and he could feel the dangerous strength growing in tandem with the wind.

Nonetheless, his mind refused to let the troublesome photographer go completely. Privately he made a vow that he would get a move on and hit the sands, but once he did, regardless of what Kono was saying about the blissful nature of photographers, he intended to pay the man a personal visit. Experience had taught him that anything was possible in the world and he wasn't willing to discount Kono's anonymous gifts with the stranger's consistent oddly timed appearances.

"Spidey senses," Danny muttered under his breath as a large rising swell messed up his timing and he was nearly upended before beginning his paddle. Wind ruffled his hair warningly as he did his best to momentarily forget the man on the beach. He was forced to regroup again as he reprimanded himself about where he was and what he needed to do. Yet, he felt an undeniable surge of concern when he saw Kono commit to a wave and his eyes automatically flew to the shore. With no doubt as the camera obstructed the man's face and Danny lost him for a moment in the curl of a wave, he was indeed focused solely on Kono.

"Spidey senses my ass," he repeated to himself. His growl of frustration was for his ears only as he bore witness to something he literally couldn't do a thing about. He bent down, paddling hard but not really concentrating on the ocean. Though he should have known better, his subsequent haste to hit the beach was ill-timed along with the strength of the wave he'd wrongly chosen. Kono had already pulled her board from the waters, rocking it on end in the sands to virtually scream worried orders his way. But it was too late as he misjudged everything he'd ever been taught thus far to tackle a crest that was much too high.

His arms wind-milled wildly as the wave raised him, only to pitch him violently forward into a tumultuous white wall of raging water. Before he could think, Danny was submerged and lost in a thundering explosion of sound and raw power.

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

_**Notes**_: I'll post as the muse approves each chapter; there's some persnickety complaining going on ... but as soon as that's put to bed on a chapter, it will go up. Again, this may not be daily. But so far, so good!

_Ko`u Aloha = My Love; __Aloha Au Ia 'Oe = I love you; __ku`uipo = sweetheart_

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

_"I want her to melt into me, like butter on toast. _

_I want to absorb her and walk around for the rest of my days with her encased in my skin." _

_Sara Gruen_

**Chapter Three: ****_No Kau a Kau ~ For Eternity_**

On another day and in any other place, she would need to admit that it was beautifully decorated even without having a window. Yet there was a coolness in the room and she shivered involuntarily, entirely confused by her predicament. In order to get warm, she curled back down partially on her side, one hand tucked just under the soft pillow to elevate her left cheek. He held her other hand, soothingly rubbing his thumb over her knuckles and chuffed a short amused sound at her confusion.

"You should go back to sleep now," he quietly urged and at first she wanted to listen to him. "You're safe here. You need your rest." She was desperately tired and wanted to close her eyes until she realized something felt wrong. So instead of listening to the gentle voice, Kono frowned more deeply when her vision refused to focus.

"Who?" Her tongue was thick around her whisper and her voice hardly projected. Though the dark silhouette sitting by her side could have been Steve's, the man's voice wasn't even remotely familiar. The bed she'd now woken to find herself in was made up with luxurious linens and from what she could make out, equally ornate. Heavy wrought iron framework with the filigree of blurry angels woven into its thick design were even delicate and whimsical.

"Perhaps you're thirsty though? Would you like some water? You must be parched after all this time." His voice was pleasantly sonorous and Kono swallowed hard, disturbed that her lips and mouth were indeed achingly dry. Without needing to express her agreement, Kono accepted his helpful hand, sipping the cool water from an ornately designed crystal glass. He pressed more on her, ignoring her brief murmur of refusal and so she carefully drank even more until the glass was nearly emptied.

"Thank you," Kono whispered, her eyes still bleary despite her resolute demands to gain a better awareness. Her right hand shook badly as she rubbed her face and tried to focus.

The fact that when she moved her left wrist from behind the pillow to find that she was restrained, deeply crinkled her brow even more deeply. The cuff was wide and comfortably encircled with a chocolate-brown fluff. A small golden lock swayed oddly in her vision and she followed its latch slowly to find a link of gold chain. Her brain was working slowly but there was no doubt that she was chained at shoulder length height to the impossible strength of the black wrought iron headboard. Anchored in fact to the delicate looking ankle of a filigree angel poised in flight, she had only a few inches of the same fine golden links which entirely marred the beauty of where she lay.

"What's ... going on?" A tentative movement of her hand resulted in a slight but strong tug around her wrist and Kono feebly pulled harder. "What?" Her ragged query became more that of a real word as she vainly struggled to a half-seated position. The light satin sheet tucked sweetly around her waist shifted and fell away as she awkwardly fumbled with her right hand to investigate and weakly yank on the thick cuff.

"What … what is … this?" Her stunned gasp was loud, yet the continued ache in her head countermanded any more of her objections. A sudden wave of lethargy shook her muscles and she slouched back down weakly against the pillows.

"_Who_ … where am I? What ... what ... do you want?" Kono blinked wildly as her chin bobbed forward and her vision dimmed to a sideways blurred stream of light. The man leaned forward, smiling to helpfully lift her chin so she could more easily meet and gaze directly into the black pool that were his eyes. He watched as she swallowed hard, working with difficulty to study his face as she tried to make sense of her situation.

"I told you that you were safe," he repeated, her chin firmly pinched between thumb and forefinger. "You're fine my love and need to rest now." Grinning happily, his hand easily followed her sloppy head movement as she failed to disengage his fingers and her mist-filled eyes continually refused to cooperate.

"What … what, do you think …," Kono tried to speak, her tongue even heavier now against her lips which still felt dry and gummy despite the water she'd had. _The water. _She inhaled sharply, realizing that her muscles were pathetically sluggish. Her mind might be acting slowly but she immediately sensed her mistake and her pulse quickened.

"You ... the water?" Kono protested her mistake and the stranger's deceit. Instead of answering her, he smiled at her complaint, watching in approval as realization slowly dawned across her pretty face. He cocked is head curiously as she weakly attempted to free her left wrist from its thick cuff. She would fail, but he was intrigued by her growing persistence. "Why? What do you think ... you're doing?" Kono whispered.

"I don't _think_ anything," he breathed warningly. "I know." She blinked wildy, searching what she know could see was a handsome face looming next to her. However, his appeal ended there because she only could find a frightening coolness lurking in the depths of his black eyes. A very real feeling of terror welled up inside her chest as his thumb traced her lips. The action was wrong in its possessive nature and she jolted away. An unlikely prickle of tears threatened her eyes when her right hand was suddenly too impossibly heavy to move off her lap. She demanded her fingers to form a fist and for that fist to find his chin with a stunning blow, and yet nothing happened. "I only said that you were safe here. And you are."

"Safe … from what?" Kono forced her stubborn mouth to work as his finger continued its journey around her lips in a gentle, circular motion to eventually drop down to grasp her chin. The feeling of tears were replaced by a rush of anger which grew when she again failed to dislodge his hold and her legs remained woodenly listless. Another trickle of unwelcome fear worked its way back to diligently to replace that anger as he drew closer and she was helpless to prevent it.

"Just safe," he soothed, resting much too comfortably on the side of the bed. Hip to hip, he finally removed his hand from her face but only to brace himself in the mattress across her body. He gazed at her for an impossibly long period of time, pleased at his ability to drink her presence in ... to finally possess her. "I tried to forget you, but it was a lost cause. You …. my dear… are my lost cause. Did you like my gifts?"

Bleary-eyed, Kono felt another flood of unbidden tears welling inside her throat which was closing off like a solid fist. She was trained better than this and yet, completely at this stranger's very whim. As her breathing faltered, her muddled thoughts struggled to remember where she had been and how she could possibly have wound up in such a terrible place.

"Gifts? Let me go," she whimpered, each breath coming fast and much too rapidly to almost hyperventilate. Her eyes briefly closed against a weary feeling of vertigo as he shifted on the bed, helpfully tucked her long hair gently behind an ear, and then shushed her quietly.

"We were such kids back then. You and me," he continued in a calm conversational tone. He sat back, delicately picking now with his fingers at the silky bedding. He paused for a moment, a smile perking one side of his mouth as he virtually spoke to himself. "That kid who I was … that scared, demeaned, loser of a kid … he's gone for good."

"What do you want from me?" Her whisper was much too soft and got lost in a deep swallow as his weight fidgeted again. At first, a spark of fear thrummed though her until she realized that he was merely standing over her now. With an effort, Kono forced her eyes to follow him as he strolled over to a door. The room swirled and bent obtusely, yet she managed to squint in his direction to understand the door led to a deep closet.

"These are all for you." He had opened the closet wide which seemed to hold a myriad of new beautiful dresses. Every color of the rainbow blurred together as he proudly swung each out for her to see what he'd done. "Of course I know your size. You'll look beautiful in any one of these dresses," he oozed triumphantly as he gently pulled out a sexy black dress delicately emblazoned with sparkling crystals.

"This is my favorite and I'd like you to wear it for our first dinner together. And heels? You have enough now to match anything; I do have the perfect pair in mind for this particular dress though." He left his favorite dress hanging on the tall hook on the outside of the closet door. With a quiet glee, he then opened each dresser drawer to show her the casual wear he'd readied, including bikinis, bathing suits and a number of intimate lingerie pieces.

"Our home is beach front. I chose it just for us. You've always been about the sun and the beach; the beach defines you. And once I can trust you, we can swim and surf together each hour of every day." He was talking avidly now with an incessant excitement, but Kono couldn't breathe and his voice disappeared in white static rush of sound which she wished she could purge from her ears.

_Beach_. _Danny_. A stray memory leaked forward and she shook her head vainly trying to clear her mind to focus. _Beach_. She had been on a beach with Danny … he _had_ …. no, _something_ had happened. As her head bobbed again on her ungainly neck and she felt herself hazily drifting, Kono didn't know who her captor was but she knew that she was in trouble; possibly more than she could possibly cope with alone.

_Danny_.

She had been with him and they had been leaving the _beach_. Her breath came back in a rush when she finally remembered where she had been. Danny had been there too and that thought settled like small cube of ice in the very pit of her stomach.

"Where's my friend ... where's Danny?" Her voice quavered, then cracked on Danny's name but the dark-haired stranger at first completely ignored her. For the first time, a genuine fear shook her to her core and refused to drop her from its vile grip.

"Where is he?" Kono pushed, and when the man finally turned to face her, his face had darkened and his jaw was clenched in absolute outrage. His expression instantly quieted her as he smoldered inside and slammed the closet door shut. She winced at his reaction, sinking deeply into the plush pillows more than startled by his unexpected surge of anger.

Kono had put a name to her stupid haole surfing student ... a man she now dared to call a _friend_. He struggled to regain his better mood and so remained silent as he replayed the successful steps behind his surprise attack.

_Not one to forgo an opportunity, he had changed course upon the haole's bad tumble in the waves knowing its outcome would be bad enough. As Kono plunged back into the ocean to help her so-called student, he had raced to his SUV to block her small car and to retrieve the syringe from his glove compartment. Then, he had simply waited behind the Park's overloaded dumpster. By then, there were very few people now left to bear witness as the waves increased and the skies darkened. He remembered that he had smiled at what fate was doling his way._

_He hadn't been entirely ready, so his chosen weapon against the unsuspecting and already injured haole had been one of his best cameras. It now required a new and very expensive lens to replace the one damaged beyond repair. _

_The sturdy piece of equipment had served the incredulous purpose of felling the blonde man after two soundly delivered blows: one to the temple and the last when the haole had the gall to get up, reeling back from behind the dumpster with his right arm hanging uselessly down to his side. Even injured, the haole had tried to attack. So the __second blow had been a satisfying pistol-whipping slashing backhand to the jaw that finally had dropped the stupid mainlander like a stone. While the stainless steel body of the $8,000 camera had withstood the rough abuse, the lens hadn't precisely faired as well._

_An instant after the short altercation, he had advanced on Kono who had been readying the passenger seat of her car and alternately complaining about the ill-parked SUV. With syringe in hand, she was unconscious and in his arms even before the small needle had been removed from her skin. Within seconds, he'd bundled her into the rear seat of his truck and gone back to drag the unconscious haole behind the dumpster, where he'd left him partially hidden under half-dead scrub-brush and older trash._

With a coldness which Kono couldn't readily see for her drugged mind, he brought himself back from his musings as she continued her frightened questioning. "Danny?" She asked again, determined to get an answer based on her resolute thin-lipped expression. She was afraid and yet persisted though her chin literally began to tremble. "What did you do to him?"

"He's nothing to be concerned about," he ground out dangerously. For a moment he wondered about Kono's duplicitous nature regarding who he had originally supposed a mere student and he found himself growing angry with her. But he was wrong and he made himself find a general calm. His Kono was only confused and needed his understanding, certainly not his anger. His subsequent sigh was one of forced patience as he folded his arms to watch her as he stood by the foot of the bed. Like a sentry, he stood quietly and simply waited for her questions and tears to end; he needed to take care of her and give her the proper amount of time to adjust.

"I'm sorry," he suddenly expressed with a startling level of tenderness. Since he loved her, he would allow her distraught state run its course and allow her the time to regain her senses. "You're over-wrought and tired from a long day."

"Danny? Where … what did you … do?" In her shock and fighting loss of consciousness, Kono was suddenly oddly drawn to the fine gold necklace he was wearing. Its pendant was heart-shaped and made the breath stick in her throat like a claw. "Please tell me," she asked fruitlessly. Finally, she did stop asking about Danny when she realized he was refusing to answer her due to a barely suppressed rage. His black eyes had impossibly darkened even more and the look was nothing short of terrifying.

"Please," she whispered one last time. Her left hand now hung limply trapped as it was in the cuff and her hazy eyes dropped to her kidnapper's sparkling ring which was of a fine gold. The expensive metal embraced a small glittering ruby surrounded by a series of diamond chips. Whoever this man was, he was indeed very wealthy. Regardless of what he said he might have been at one time, he carried himself with a tall, arrogant air of self confidence. And worse yet, he had found the means to kidnap her against her will.

"Who … who are… you?" She didn't remember him and had no idea what he was talking about as she searched for anything he might be willing to discuss. "Please. I don't understand. I don't know you … I really don't."

"We grew up together; in a way. At the time, I wasn't good enough for you but that _kid_ is dead, Kono," he gazed deeply into her eyes and she didn't dare look away despite the gray edging into her vision. "I'm here now and I'm going to prove just how much I love you. I'm going to show you that we were meant to be together and that I can make you happy."

"What did you do … with Danny?" She completely couldn't help herself and she risked his anger as her question burst from her lips. Kono's voice gained a tiny modicum of strength as she fought the fear which was bubbling now so treacherously inside. "Did … you hurt him? Is he here? I … want to see him."

He stopped talking instantly as her questions rounded back to the frustrating subject of the stupid haole. He scowled when her voice gained volume to echo within the small dollhouse of a bedroom. Other than a subtle disappointed frown dosed with a flicker of anger, his face became impassive as he watched her briefly rail at him. He didn't care to discuss distasteful subjects such as this haole and her incessant questions infuriated him. But he needed to be patient.

"I know you missed me," he explained, before almost shyly adding a more terrifying comment. "I know you will love me as much as I love you. We missed each other so much over all of these years, Kono."

"I don't … know you. You're … insane," Kono gasped as his overly calm words swirled menacingly in her aching head.

"Not actually. No. But I know you." He sighed as he approached the side of the bed to stand over her with a new expression telling of his love and communicating his ongoing patience. _"__Aloha Au Ia 'Oe, _you're only confused and need to rest." She cringed when he verbalized his love and his hand dropped to her head. With a forced understanding for her bewildering day, he once more ignored her demands to leave her be … not to touch her. But she would eventually admit her love because she was now his … forever.

The golden chain attached to the cuff on her wrist clattered loudly against the bed frame as Kono writhed away and forced leaden muscles to move mere inches to escape his hand which stroked her hair as if she were a child. Knuckles caressed her cheek to linger by her jawbone. His thumb snuck out to wipe her stray tear away and she nearly choked when he blatantly licked the same finger into his own mouth, leaving it then to rock on his bottom lip.

"I love you," he repeated in a rush of soft words to prove his heart. "So, so very much. You have no idea."

His lips fell around his own thumb again, relishing the salty tear. He watched in rapt fascination as another tear traced enticingly down her cheek to settle on her jaw line. Though her head bobbed more now against the drugs he'd given her, the tear wasn't quite full enough to move beyond that soft ridge until another followed rapidly in its wake. Then the two dropped to her collarbone to soak into her silk nightgown.

"You truly … have no … idea," he whispered, as his own voice stammered for a moment. She was beautiful perfection even when upset and he could barely avoid touching her more. But he could wait because he had done just that for twelve excruciatingly long years. She was finally with him and he had all the time in the world now to teach her to love him, and force of any kind would simply not be the answer.

"You just need time to remember that you feel the same way about me. I'll give you anything you've ever wanted and more," he promised as he slowly leaned forward to tuck the satin sheets around her waist. "I'll keep you safe. Always."

"I need … I need … to know what you did to my friend." Kono stubbornly persisted, ignoring the tears which were now freely spilling over her lashes. She took the risk and bit her lip as his thumb vainly tried to stem each one and her eyes closed while her head sank to her chest. She was repulsed by his touch and now truly frightened despite her police training. This was different. This was so very different as the depths of his charade crept more and more into her soul.

"Go to sleep," he crooned. The struggle to remain calm was difficult. Part of him wished to yell at her in anger about her persistent questions regarding the haole ... her _friend_. His internal struggle was difficult as he chose to give her another chance and blamed her disorientation on her medication. With a deliberate determination, he unclenched his fists and forced his shoulders to relax. Her ongoing complaints were beginning to cross a dangerous emotional line with him. In his head, he forced his mantra to remind him that she wasn't yet entirely aware.

_She didn't mean it. She isn't yet herself._

"Just sleep, Kono._ Ko`u Aloha,"_ he urged her with a more strident demanding tone of voice. "Close your eyes. We can talk tomorrow."

"No. And I'm not your … anything," she fought sleep, biting her lip to force her eyes opened once more. Her own tone changed and he narrowed his eyes warningly at her outspoken dare. "Tell me … you tell me. Now." His term of loving endearment had sparked her anger as did his refusal to answer her questions. Still dazed, Kono missed the dangerous look lurking in his eyes, only hearing his eventual laughter and his blatant amusement at her obstinacy.

"You're something else, _ku`uipo_," he whispered in admiration. "So strong …. so beautiful. It's why I have to keep you here until you believe me. Until I can trust that you know I only want to take care of you …. forever."

"No," Kono sobbed softly as her eyes scanned the small space. The room boasted her favorite color palette. The clothes, sizes and the particular construction of the beautiful bed had been perfectly planned out for her well in advance. There was no window and she didn't doubt the strength of her new pretty jail. Her head ached from whatever he'd done to subdue her and that drug she realized, made her quite not able to remember everything. Now, the newest drug would make her sleep and she had no idea for how long.

She fought her murky brain until something teased forward along with her ongoing fear for Danny. She was positive that they'd been together and leaving the beach for … something. Maybe dinner? No, something had happened and she frowned as at a newly remembered pang of anxiety. In her beleagured mind, there was a flash of Danny falling in a wave within yet another wave.

_Too big._ The wave had been _too big _and he'd barely gotten to shore with her help skinned, scraped and on his feet but rattled badly enough. They had briefly argued and Kono vaguely recalled making a phone call to Doctor Ramirez because Danny had grudgingly agreed to at least go to the small clinic to be checked out by their kindly friend.

_"__Fine," Danny had pursed his lips while swiping at roughly scratched skin along his ribcage. Tiny sparkles of red blood had instantly pooled up again from the torn skin. He was mad at himself and disgusted by his mistakes on the waves. Still, he had been looking up and down the sands as he spoke. He'd been hyper-vigilant and angry just before agreeing to her worried demands. "I'll go see Ponch to make you happy. But this is all a bunch of nothing … I got distracted and I'm okay, Kono."_

The small white towel was a faint memory which included speckles of blood and then a remembered glimpse of raw, skinned hands which became more solidly defined in her brain. Kono knew now who Danny had been looking for as her eyes widened fearfully. He had known or sensed the danger and she had not been careful enough; she had once again ignored him completely despite his ample experience and gut instincts. Tears pricked painfully as she tried to calm her much too rapid breathing.

"Where is he?" Her voice rose in her plea about Danny as that one memory teased forward and became more defined. She had been planning to help Danny get into the passenger seat of her car and had raced ahead after calling Doctor Ramirez.

S_he had reached the car first as he trailed behind across the sand. She had the passenger door open and was bent almost in half to push the seat all the way back. _She could see herself doing all of that and she knew that Danny had been hobbling slowly in her wake._ "Damn it, Kono, I'm fine." His voice echoed in her mind as he huffed a series of disgusted, breathless curses._

He was slow because of what though?_ He had been … limping? He had hurt his side …. his knee? And Doctor Ramirez … he had definitely agreed to go see Ramirez at the clinic._

She jolted in the memory of an old sound - likely the last thing she had heard - and she stared hard at the stranger in front of her. There had been a sound from behind her. A dull stunned exhale of air and then … nothing. Kono was now sure of that as she argued with herself to stare at her kidnapper. Her mind recalled a vision of Danny's dark silhouette falling to earth and then …. _nothing_ since her brain refused to go farther.

"Oh god," she muttered brokenly as she studied the man's profile, dark tousled hair and confident carriage. She could see it now and she trembled at the truth. "No, no, no."

Danny had been so terribly correct in his leery feelings of foreboding. This stranger was the photographer she and Danny had spied on the beach. The photographer whom she had chosen to downplay, but Danny had grown so increasingly wary of day by day. She cursed herself for her too slow mind because he had attacked them in the parking lot after Danny had been tossed about during his last wave of the day.

"Where's Danny? What did you do to him?" Kono's was crying in earnest now. She completely missed her captor's resurgence of anger. She missed the flare of jealous fury, only hearing the richly intoned shushing noises which served to smother the rage. But as she continued to plead and prod, he was unable to control himself.

"Enough!" He shouted his warning to her this time, stopping barely in time from striking her as his fists furled so hard that his own fingernails scored his palms. His shoulders shook and he fought the anger that momentarily flared in his soul. "He's gone. You're here … _enough_!"

He barely managed to restrain himself and growled as one nail finally drew blood across his own palm. He watched dispassionately as tears coursed down her cheeks. He only managed to regain some semblance of control when she began to truly fail at keeping her eyes opened.

_She doesn't mean it. She isn't quite herself … not just yet. It's the drugs and she's only out of sorts._

"Sleep," he bit the order out. Barely in a calmer tone, he just managed to regain control of his emotions. "Tomorrow, _ku`uipo_. We can talk then."

His parting chaste kiss laid gently on the top of her head left her faintly squirming as the overhead light was thumbed off on his way out of the room. But instead of being plunged into an excruciating darkness, a small nightlight automatically flickered on near the tall dresser to keep her prison bathed in a warm yellowish glow which negated the formerly pretty color palette of the room. The colors became muddied, grayish and nondescript by the poor quality of the tiny bulb barely hidden behind a faux seashell cover.

The thick door closed with a solid snick accompanied by at least one bolt finding its way home on the outside. The last thing she heard was an odd sliding sound which sealed the door more solidly to suck air from the room upon its own tight closure. High in the wall, a small vent burred into life to waft cool, fresh air down to flow over her face and bare arms. Kono shivered, glancing down at the sheets and her own body. Only then did she realize that he'd changed her before she'd woken. The dark red, pure silk one-piece hand-embroidered babydoll was sweetly set off with white lace and a gold necklace which matched his own.

Teary-eyed and feeling sick to her stomach, Kono stared at the new necklace hung so rudely around her own neck. It matched what the photographer wore with its heart-shaped pendant. It was the other half to his whole. And though her eyes were unable to focus on the small engraved print, she could guess what it said and bile rose to scour her throat.

_What was happening was all entirely wrong. _

"Help me," she choked hoarsely. In her panic, she struggled blindly but her body was rejecting her commands as the drug gained ground and her eyes burned with a need to close. "Please … help," Kono whispered nearly mute. A breath shuttered in her throat and took root in her chest. The flare of its terrified warmth shook her body and the resulting scream lingered in her own ears after dying breathlessly since it only confirmed one additional terrifying fact: her new prison was entirely sound-proofed.

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

_**Notes**_: I love the title "Mr. Creepy" that my baddie seems to have been gifted! Quite perfect for him. I'm thrilled you're enjoying this story ... the muses are working hard to keep it on an even keel. My OC of Doctor Ramirez is here; and the muse saw fit to add Doctor Lennon from the recent Father Hen story.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter Four**

**_No Kau a Kau ~ For Eternity_**

Steve never stopped as he two-fisted the double doors while on the same agitated run from the parking lot. In addition to being soaked to the skin from the ongoing downpour, he made a larger than life entrance into the emergency room only to be literally stopped when his body careened into the counter of the nurse's station.

"Detective Danny Williams. He was just brought in by ambulance from Ehukai Beach Park," Steve blurted the words breathlessly, barely waiting for a response, before moving off again on a hectic pace towards the examination room. He physically pushed past an HPD officer, curtly apologizing, yet essentially ignoring the similarly distressed uniformed man for his sole objective.

"Sir!" The HPD officer had been roughly shoved aside. He was slow to recover his balance and follow on Steve's heels. So he called after him, his frustration making his voice much louder than it should have been inside the busy hospital corridor. "Sir, you need to know … there's more … sir! We think … no, we _know_ that Officer Kalakaua was with Detective Williams."

"Wait," Steve ground out when the HPD officer's words sank in and he stalled in place just steps from another set of double doors. "What do you mean? Kono?" Then, only divine providence - and the strong arms of a stunned nurse - prevented him from barging into the trauma room as he had through the first inner bay to the ER.

"You'll have to wait out here." The nurse who barreled into him on her way out of the trauma room reacted instantly to snare his upper body and Steve nearly fell as his route was pre-empted. "Preferably the waiting room."

"How bad? What's going on?" Steve didn't have much information other than that a tourist had found his partner at the parking lot of Ehukai Beach Park on the North Shore. He had been found reeling almost drunkenly across the almost empty lot by another beach goer who had wisely called both the police and then an ambulance. Details were sketchy and Steve was still at a loss for more information as he rounded first on the nurse and then the lone HPD officer.

"Detective Williams? Honestly, we're not entirely certain of the extent of all his injuries just yet." The nurse easily guessed that the stressed concern was about their latest patient as she pulled Steve along for only two short steps before she was forced to stop. "We're working on getting him stabilized. Someone will be out to fill you in when we know more; please wait outside." Any further forward motion was prevented though when the larger man refused outright to budge an other inch. With a scowl, he shirked rudely from her fingertips to leave a trail of scored white lines from her nails which demarked an inch of space across his tanned bicep.

"Next of kin? Family? Another officer?" The nurse wasn't sure quite yet whom she was dealing with and she nodded in recognition when Steve thrust his Five-0 badge under her nose.

"Friend … and partner," Steve hastily explained. "What do you mean that you don't know?"

"I need to get another doctor in there right now." The nurse waffled in a short spat of indecision before pointing with purpose towards a the white-coated outline of a doctor who hovered just inside the trauma room's doorway.

"Talk to Doctor Lennon. I need to get another doctor down here to evaluate your friend's other injuries."

"Lennon? Hey! Other … what?" Steve croaked out in alarm, finally turning towards the HPD officer for answers when the nurse rapidly turned on her heel. "What do you know?"

"We know that he and Officer Kalakaua had been surfing on their day off." The HPD officer vainly tried again now that McGarrett had finally ceased moving. "It's Officer Kalakaua, sir. We haven't been able to locate her as of yet. Detective Williams asked about her … or, he at least tried to explain that something was wrong. But he wasn't entirely making sense at first and this Doctor Lennon won't allow me in to ask him more questions. Since you were first contacted, Officer Kalakaua's car has now been confirmed as being in the parking lot; but she's missing."

That was as far as he got as Steve spun in place when he heard Danny's voice rising in agitation. _Lennon_. The young doctor was talented, but not on the Five-0 team's top list of favorite people; least of all his partner's. He was now glibly placed at the pond scum level of Steve's own personal list within seconds of hearing what the HPD officer had just shared, worsened by the faint tremor of Danny's voice which was wracked with both pain and frustration. Other voices joined those he heard from inside the trauma room to countermand orders, increasing the tension to an incredible level.

"Damn, him." Steve bristled angrily as he recognized Lennon's voice in the midst of the escalating argument. "Hold that thought!" He barked out, a finger in the air and aimed unerringly at the HPD officer. Whirling around, he entered the exam room and descended upon the doctor in question only to gasp out loud when he caught sight of Danny's bloody and bruised torso. His hand went out automatically, Five-0 badge brandished threateningly to anyone in his way, as startled demands were called out to remove himself from the room.

"What the hell happened to him?" Steve stopped just shy of the hectic activity, astounded by the series of reddened scrapes along Danny's right cheek, the large purpling bruise on his jawline, and roughened skin, torn and bloodied.

Danny's right arm was strapped to his chest and Steve correctly guessed that his shoulder had been dislocated. A sheet was draped over the lower half of his body leaving his chest bare to show off the impressive expanse of bruising emanating from his right shoulder and to wrap around his ribcage. A thick bandage, soaked with blood, covered his left temple and half the side of his head. But worst of all, Danny was fighting, struggling and arguing with every bit of energy he had available in his remaining stores.

"Get off me." Though weak, Danny's voice made it over the noise of the medical throng in the room. "You're not listening … to me. I need … to talk. Contact … McGarrett … or Kelly. Now … someone. It's urgent." The resultant pained gasp emanating from the gurney moved Steve then and he strode past the overly-determined Doctor Lennon to enter not only the fray, but his partner's line of sight.

"Danny." Steve brusquely supplanted Lennon who was hell-bent on treating his aggressive patient, as well as a burly male orderly, by glare alone to clasp Danny's lesser bruised shoulder and to gently palm his forehead just shy of the worst of the bloody bandages.

"Stop. Hey, hey, Danno, what happened? Just … stop, buddy." Steve literally flinched when Danny's pained eyes finally met his own. He flinched again when a small bit of the traumatized blue haze seemed to clear and his partner completely deflated in his hands.

"Chin's on his way. I'm here … calm down and tell me what happened." Steve breathed as calmly as he could manage under the baffling circumstances. To Lennon's sheer amazement, his combative patient ceased all movement and all verbal complaints upon the entrance of one very special person. Not quite trusting things though as his patient fought breathlessly against pain and his skilled medical care, the orderly and the rest of Lennon's people ranged uncertainly around the gurney looking towards him in askance.

"Steve. '_bout_… time." Danny panted, only to close his eyes and grimace at the agony in his head which was affecting his vision and ability to cohesively construct even a glimmer of a rational thought. More pain radiated from his dislocated shoulder, torn from its socket by the simple act of putting a hand out to break a fall when Kono's abductor leveled his first well-aimed blow.

"I need to get him stabilized and get that shoulder taken care of," Lennon insisted meaningfully to Steve, relieved when the Five-0 Commander didn't argue but returned a grim-faced nod. He and the Five-0 team had crossed paths and hadn't quite managed to meet eye to eye or find friendly footing. In fact after his partner's wound had gotten infected under Lennon's care, the currently injured detective and the young doctor might never learn to gain an improved relationship.

Lennon paused, briefly uncertain if he should continue. But his patient's new demeanor gave him an opportunity and he grasped it to focus on completing the urgent tasks needed to stabilize fluctuating vital signs battered by pain and shock. "Let's try this again. Shall we?" Lennon physically rolled his head on his stiffening neck to ease his own stress in order to reinitiate his triage. He felt his entire team take a proverbial deep breath as activity slowly resumed, albeit with only a slightly lesser level of apprehension.

"I want him on oxygen," Lennon dared demand, glancing with a superior air towards his head nurse who jumped into action to replace the oxygen mask torn off in battle. She nodded as more orders were tossed her way with no pause. "Make sure radiology is ready for us; and where the hell is Fratelli? I want him down here."

"Leave it alone, Danny." With eyes only focused on his partner, Steve waved a finger warningly in front of Danny's nose as a shaky, badly scraped hand tried to come up to object the nurse's efforts. Torn skin littered his knuckles around dried beads of blood which mimicked the deep scratches oozing across his ribcage. Danny was wet, likely moreso from the rainy deluge, but despite that Steve was momentarily distracted by the sandy hair and salt encrusted eye lashes.

"What happened?" Motioning with one hand to take in the length of his battered friend, Steve was dumfounded as Lennon interrupted to provide more information. The expression on the young doctor's face was severe and caused Steve to switch gears momentarily away from Danny in order to better understand his partner's condition. "How badly is he hurt?"

"Steve …" Danny attempted a sentence, grimacing though a surge of pain which gave Lennon time to interject his own theories much to his ongoing aggravation.

"He took a heavy roll in the waves and dislocated his shoulder before being hit twice in the head with a blunt object," Lennon quoted brusquely. "It seems he was coming in after the spill to get checked out, but was accosted in the Park's upper parking lot. HPD is describing a possible altercation which prompted these head injuries. He was found dazed but conscious …"

"Wrong. I told you … didn't … hurt my shoulder … surfing," Danny managed to growl out despite the pain he was in. His voice was weak and muffled by the oxygen mask making his delivery sound more plaintive than intended. His annoyance was obvious, at least as recognized by Steve, but before he could make himself clearer, Lennon was shaking his head patronizingly as if his patient might be terribly confused.

"Detective, please calm down," Lennon started but was forced to stop when Danny's hand managed to fist the sleeve of his jacket in a tight wad. Blood sparkled along his knuckles and Danny's hand shook badly, but his hold was steadfast.

"You ... _you_ need to back off … Doc," Danny said angrily through gritted teeth. The condescending smile the doctor proffered to Danny when Steve unwound his fingers from the white coat wasn't received well, still Lennon picked up easily where he'd left off. His attitude earned him another pained glower of frustration but Danny had to scrunch his eyes closed as the pain in his head worsened.

"He at minimum has a very serious concussion. But I'm not sure how long he was unconscious before he was found wandering the parking lot; he says not at all, but I'm having my doubts," the doctor succinctly added.

"I wasn't … knocked … out," Danny ground out finally, blinking furiously to keep his eyes opened so he could combat Lennon's annoying tendencies to assume too much and interrupt as if he were a chuffed up peacock. He chose to completely ignore the arrogant man as he carefully drew in a thin breath of air and focused on the pure oxygen as an aid in clearing his aching head. "Steve, we're wasting … time. Kono … could be long gone."

"Alright, Danny," Steve nodded in agreement. However, he was also frowning at irksome bits of information about Kono's whereabouts and alarmed by his partner's contrary words. And though the proof lay directly in front of him, battered and bruised, he remained surprised at the apparent day of surfing.

"I need to take care of this man," Lennon sighed loudly. He rapped his hand impatiently on the gurney, alternately upset and personally offended by the whithering looks his recalcitrant patient once more aimed his way.

"You will in a minute, Doc," Steve set his jaw firmly as the Lennon rolled his eyes towards the ceiling. Lennon was young and as a very qualified physician certainly meant well; but he was over-confident, self-impressed, and didn't appreciate being managed by his patients. As far as Steve was concerned, all of that was simply too bad and the doctor would have to get over it.

"Tell me what happened from the top." With a well-trained severity to exercise self-restraint, Steve reined back the rising drum-like beat which was beginning to steal the air from his chest. He ignored the young doctor's impatience and forced his voice to remain even-keeled and entirely calm. "Danny, when you were at Ehukai today, was Kono with you? What happened in the parking lot?"

"Kono … yeah, then this guy … came from nowhere," Danny forced his eyes to remain open despite the throbbing pain in his head which was making his initial tussle with the ocean and surfboard seem like child's play. "Lost track of the time since it happened … but it's been too long already." His crash in the waves was almost, but not quite child's play, because he'd scraped half his right side raw across the sandy bottom before coming up for air, only to have it happen twice more before reaching shore. It was no exaggeration that he'd only managed to reach the beach due to Kono's help. His ribs and entire right side burned from scoured skin irritated by abrasive salt water. On his second violent immersion, he felt as if he'd swallowed half the Pacific, which had duly rattled him to his very core. If he had been miserable before, after being attacked in the Park's upper parking area, he was now helplessly trembling from the unexpected added trauma.

"He took … her … near the car," Danny grimaced and then groaned as Lennon palpitated his ribs and a nurse did the same to each of his bleeding hands, his fingers and then his abdomen was probed with painful persistency. Apologies were whispered, but his assault continued and Danny had to pause often to gain his breath.

"I … I _think_ …. photographer …. took her … couldn't stop him ..." He wheezed badly, losing his breath entirely as his bruised right leg received more attention. Danny's face contorted in a rigor of silent agony. A blinding white pain flashed through his head and his ability to create any sound other than a strangled gasp simply ended. What failed next was his capacity to inhale while his body revolted to draw him closer to seriously passing out.

His panicked grapple for purchase gained the strength of Steve's hand but still he lost himself in a numbing agony. Even with his eyes squeezed shut, an odd array of dark sparking lights danced relentlessly across his vision and he was at a loss to hear the angry words bellowed on his behalf. Shock was setting in to an extent where he knew he was in trouble as his body began to uncontrollably shake while his hearing faded distressingly to nothing.

"Steve?" His mumbled whimper was barely a sound at all. Hardly an intelligible name. But everything was taking too long because Kono had been kidnapped. And in situations like this, every second mattered and that fact was all he could manage to think of.

"We need to finish our triage and get him stabilized. I have a neurologist coming in because I'm distinctly worried about his head injuries. Do you have what you need?" Lennon was desperately attempting to remain professional and in control of his emergency room. In all honesty, he was truly disturbed now; any patience long gone as his face clouded unhappily. Standing across from Steve, he obviously disliked what he was finding and his tone was filled with a growing sense of trepidation. If it hadn't been for all of those dire hints, Steve would have pummeled the man into submission. But what Lennon was urgently communicating pulled Steve in two conflicting directions and he hesitated.

"I highly doubt that he does," a booming voice intoned suddenly from the doorway. It startled Doctor Lennon enough for him to stumble backwards from the gurney, wide-eyed as he issued an astonished curse. Two seconds later, his face had reddened in a weird combination of embarrassment and anger.

"Commander." The word was said with a blithe sense of strong familiarity. Doctor Alphonse '_Ponch_' Ramirez's sheer size and breadth filled what little space remained in the trauma room as he cocked his head inquiringly towards Steve and then nodded towards Danny. "Why is my patient here and not at my clinic as I expected?"

"What do you mean your patient?" Lennon barked at the sizable man now striding boldly into his own ER. "And at your clinic?"

"What are you talking about?" Steve blurted out, neatly copying Lennon's stunned expression as he stared stupidly at the older physician. He had a badly injured partner and a missing officer on his hands. Ramirez's appearance and nearly sardonic questions were about to send him over a sketchy precipice and Steve threw his hands up in the air. "Clinic? Your patient? Ponch, what the hell are you talking about?"

"Exactly!" Lennon finally found his tongue, astonished still by yet another unannounced interloper within the inner sanctity of his emergency room. "What in God's name are you talking about Ramirez? What's going on here?"

"I received a phone call." Ponch breezily began his explanation as he anchored his hands firmly behind his back. His mouth twitched in annoyance at the young doctor's presumption to so boldly and even rudely refer to him by his last time. He stared unflinchingly at Lennon until the man realized his error and looked away in chagrin, his face reddening and a similar heated flush rising to encase his ears. Ramirez didn't back down an inch until the room quieted. Fingers-interlaced, a small bounce on his toes tilted his upper body forward to indicate his rising sense of agitation at the sights laid out before him. He looked quizzically from Lennon, down to Danny and then over to Steve before frowning once more at the injured detective.

"Officer Kalakaua called me …," and the imposing doctor pointed adamantly down towards Danny, "about him … contacted me directly at my clinic requesting that I see _him_ after an encounter with a rather large wave while surfing. They never showed after quite some time had passed and neither of them answered my calls. I made a few more of my own and learned there'd been an altercation involving a police officer at the beach. It wasn't too hard to figure out things from that point and I tracked the ambulance to this hospital. And so now, I'm here."

"More than an hour?" Steve blinked once and then twice in confusion, breathing out a rather perplexed sound as he silently made his brain function. On the gurney, Danny was mumbling something which he couldn't quite make out as the confusion of multiple voices rose once more in the small room. "Kono called you?"

"She did. It's been over an hour and a half ago now; closer to two hours, actually." Ponch nodded again, grimacing thoughtfully when Danny seemed to pale at the pronouncement regarding the passage of time. "She and Danny were supposed to be on their way to my clinic so that I could evaluate some cuts and scrapes; but nothing like this. Nothing related to head injuries or what looks like a _what_ … is this now a dislocated shoulder? And did I hear correctly … Kono is actually missing?"

"Ah ..." Lennon was beside himself, floundering for words as he was once more pushed aside, this time by his older and more experienced peer whom his patient was quite relieved to see. His flush refused to abate and he rubbed inanely at his neck, unknowingly opening up a swath of reddened skin there, too, which complimented the bright color of his ears.

"Ah … dislocated … yes, we believe from the surfing accident." His voice trailed away as the elder physician shook his head to deny the claim on Danny's behalf when a bloodied and badly scraped hand waved in exasperation through the air amongst them.

"No, that's not what I believe happened," Ponch stated, deep in thought as he recalled Kono's description of Danny's much more simplistic injuries. In the background of that initial phone conversation, he had heard Danny's aggrieved complaints about minor scrapes and a short smile flew across his lips. Based on what he'd been told, neither the head wounds nor the injured shoulder had been in existence.

"No." He worriedly tightened his fingers behind his back, before committing to his final assessment. "This … is all new. These injuries including the dislocated shoulder clearly happened after I was contacted."

"Said … that," Danny muttered brokenly under the oxygen mask. "I did … I said … that all along." His relief at Ponch's unexpected arrival rivaled that of Steve's and he reveled in the big man's ability to speak on his behalf. "Kono … she's missing."

"Okay," Doctor Lennon shrugged at the news. He was embarrassed and fighting to regain control of the situation. What Ramirez declared meant little to him in the grand scheme of things as his injured patient struggled to remain cognizant. With an effort, his voice was kind, exceedingly patient in fact, but he was wanting to focus on his own important job. "I'm glad that's cleared up and I hope it helps, but it doesn't change the fact that this man is badly injured. My team needs to finish triage and get him stabilized. I want everyone out of this room so we can do just that."

"No," Danny mewled in distress forcing his fingers to stay curled around Steve's, refusing to let go until he conveyed his peace. His voice was wracked with worry as he insisted on relaying something much more important. "Two hours, Steve. Too … long … could be anywhere."

As way of a reply, Danny sensed the sudden placement of a protective bubble which surrounded him like a thick blanket. Ramirez was included in that realm of safety, yet Danny knew it wouldn't last long because the dueling doctors' common Hippocratic Oath would win out over his own fading threads of stamina. He still had limited time as he fought their care and the abuses layered upon his exhausted system.

"One minute. He needs one minute; I need a minute with him." Steve hunched over the gurney leaving Lennon to Ramirez, his face inches from Danny's with one hand entrenched in a frighteningly cold grip. His other hand found its way to Danny's forehead, wrinkled and lined in not only pain, but fear.

"You and Kono were surfing at Ehukai and what, Danny? You took a header and were going to the clinic to get checked out … what happened after that?" Steve spoke almost rheotrically, gauging his partner's agreement or denial as best as possible as he strove to fill in gaps. "You ran into a guy in the lot …. you think he was a photographer and he kidnapped Kono … but first, he got you from behind." Steve said it all quickly, his eyes wandering rapidly over Danny's pinched face for affirmation.

_"__How could that happen, Danno? Both of you?"_ The incredulous thought was inaudible since Steve remained confused for the unlikely aspect of anyone being able to take out either one of his team in such a way. Either of them alone was a force to be reckoned with. _Two_ was unheard of even with Danny scuffed up by a bad tumble while surfing.

"Stalker," Danny ground the word out hoping it made a better impact. "Meant … business. Planned attack … never saw it coming. _Waiting_ …. watching us - no, just Kono …. _waiting. _Weeks …now. Those … damned … flowers. The stuffed toy. I'm sure…so sure, Steve."

He tried to get more out, but his mind faltered along with his ability to stay aware. He was desperate to explain how an SUV had hemmed Kono's tiny red car into their parking space but then, that was all he could truly recall. His gut clenched as he realized that he didn't remember much of anything else and if two hours had gone by, that man could have taken Kono virtually anywhere. He'd been accosted from behind. Instantly eliminated as a threat by that one blow, he didn't even recall being laid flat by the second after struggling to his feet with his newly dislocated shoulder. He had only bits and pieces of memories as his brain jumped blindingly to the face of the kind elderly tourist who had intercepted his reeling gait across the nearly deserted parking lot. Now, he had a myriad of bone deep aches which resonated distressingly across his chest, shoulder and directly upwards into his skull.

None of these things which he tried to verbalize proved possible when his fingers spasmed and he fought valiantly against a nauseating blackness that swirled to take him without a grain of regret. Steve saw the change instantly and he worriedly glanced up to meet each of the doctor's faces. Ramirez, who was hawk-like in his concern, and then Lennon who had become blatantly stressed in being unable to manage his medical protocol.

"It's enough. Take him," Steve nodded after giving his partner's fingers a reassuring squeeze. "Danny, I'll take care of it with Chin and we'll find Kono. Let them help you now."

"Lennon is quite correct," Ponch's deep voice was closer, just over his head and Danny found himself partly relaxing as he listened to the man's calm authority. "He needs to take care of Danny, Steve. I'll stay with him and can keep you all appraised ... and vice versa."

"Kono," Danny tried to say more, but failed with a dismal groan. While it really wasn't going to be much, he had more to share and he forced his eyes to open. Steve needed to leave the hospital in order to locate her. But Danny had more to say and he couldn't properly concentrate or make the blackish glitter of discordant lights leave his vision. He sought Steve's eyes regardless of the merging of light and dark worsened by visual disturbances. His stomach churned as Steve's face faded to swim murkily inches from his nose.

"Danny, no more," Steve whispered. "It's enough. It is."

"No. Hawaiian guy … knew her … trap. Setup," Danny pushed out his poor description of their attacker on a hushed groan. Frightened that he was doing a bad job and unable to provide leads of any value, he stammered the entire time he fought to find a clue inside splintered images. His head thrummed relentlessly and a vacuumed hum of disembowled white noise filled his ears. He was sick, cold and his thoughts were suddenly too vague to capture, leaving him to shiver against the growing lassitude which pulled so badly at him. It was true that hindsight was twenty-twenty. The man had been waiting for an opportunity and Danny's unfortunate tumble in the waves provided that out. From that point, there was nothing sophomoric about the photographer's well-orchestrated next steps.

"Has to be him," Danny murmured under his breath. Fighting his flickering level of consciousness, he had been at a clear disadvantage from the word go, and at least remembered struggling to hobble behind Kono to get to her car.

_"Who the hell parks like this?" Kono had let her worried anger get the better of her as she stared at the big SUV before running ahead. In fact, they both had been cursing the ludicrous parking job of the SUV's errant driver when things had gone completely sideways. Danny remembered that it had been white, but couldn't precisely recall the make or model._

"White SUV," Danny winced as he shook his head in misery. "Suburban maybe … don't know."

"What did he look like?" Steve carefully coached. "This guy … the photographer. Can you tell me anything else about him before I go, Danny?"

"Steve …. I don't know," Danny moaned with a sense of rising trepidation because he was of very little help where it counted and he very well knew it. "Dark … tall and fit. Hawaiian and maybe … early to mid-thirties."

Even in terms of providing a physical description of the photographer, he'd only seen the tall dark-haired man from the waves. The man appeared to be Hawaiian and very tanned; tall and he seemed athletic but that would describe more than half the island's population. Hell, he had practically described Steve for all the real help he could provide. With only his gut instinct at the fore, Danny was at a loss to describe anything else that might help find Kono and time was ticking dangerously on.

"Don't know," he murmured faintly. He was utterly tapped and fading quickly, barely able to get his final words uttered as his voice faded away."Had to be … that guy. Has … to be. Please … get out of here now. Wasting … too much … time.""

"It's good, Danny. It's enough and I'll figure it out. Chin's on his way, too," Steve whispered vainly trying to offer some comfort as his partner's fingers tightened once before unexpectedly growing lax. "Danny?" He was left gently trying to disengage himself from what remained of Danny's grip as the gurney began to move. Steve looked up in surprise to find himself staring at yet another doctor who had joined their small anxious entourage. A complete phalanx of three physicans now ranged around his partner.

"Doctor Fratelli," Lennon explained quickly as he introduced the newest arrival while on the move. "Staff neurologist. I want to be on the safe side and we do need to take Detective Williams to radiology. Now. No more waiting."

"Doc? Neurologist?" Steve ran his fingers through his hair in frustration as both Doctor Lennon and now Doctor Fratelli picked up their pace while both he and Ramirez kept time. His entreaty to Ramirez mixed confusion over Danny's words, his now missing youngest officer, and the potential extent of his friend's injuries.

"I'll tag along, Steve," Ponch vowed over his shoulder as they all stopped near a bank of elevators. He wrung his hands in agitation, rending his fingers for lack of being able to shove them habitually into his typical lab coat pockets. At any other time, Steve would have been amused since the big man was seemingly unable to speak when denied his habits. Instead, Steve watched the elevator numbers flicker and light to signal a descent to their current floor. He looked worriedly from his unconscious partner up to the elder physician.

"His system's been badly stressed from these injuries and he's exhausted. I'll stay here for as long as it takes, Steve. Go find out what's happened to Kono," Ponch finally managed to offer.

"Commander, I know we've had our differences, but he's in good hands," Lennon added just as the elevator arrived. He was still perturbed by Doctor Ramirez's unprecedented arrival. The elder doctor and his own father were life-long friends and he felt the strain of their combined judgment falling squarely on his young shoulders. Still, he managed to forge on to find words that were finally appropriate for the situation. "We'll take very good care of Detective Williams." He had also regained most of his control and composure possibly due to the addition of Fratelli's bolstering support. "Of that, I promise."

With a final glance towards Ramirez for reassurance, Steve nodded his thanks before he was left behind to seek out the HPD officer who seemed equally baffled by too little information coming in from the crime scene. He had just waved the lone officer down in the hospital corridor when a very harried Chin Ho jogged through the ER doors. "Steve? Hey, what's going on?"

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	5. Chapter 5

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Notes: **tough chapter to get right so I hope it's satisfying.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

**Chapter Five: ****No Kau a Kau ~ For Eternity**

It was an understatement to note that Chin was beside himself with an all-encompassing fervor to locate his cousin. Thirty-two tediously long hours had gone by with no news. No leads. No kidnap demands.

_Nothing_ but a grieving silence.

It was as if Kono had been swallowed whole by the very earth. Anything and everything he had ever been exposed to or had experience with in the line of police work had come to a screeching halt.

"What next?" Chin had to restrain himself from demolishing the Smart table under the strength of his fist. "Where the hell do we go next?" Instead of giving in to that urge, driven by frustration and no small amount of fear, he chose to strangle the small teddy bear he'd retrieved from Kono's house just the day before. The plastic bag it was encased in for delivery to the crime lab crinkled warningly - as if it might pop - when he squeezed the poor plush animal nearly in half.

But he scowled as something sharp poked through the faux chocolate-colored fur and perplexed, he rotated the toy in his fingers.

"Where the hell could she have gone and how, in god's name, did no one see a damned thing!?" He rasped angrily while simultaneously examining the small bear, surprised to see a tiny hidden zipper in the comical red heart it held between its fluffy paws. He glanced up pensively to eye the man standing across from him. There was no acknowledgement that he'd said anything at all though or had possibly found a small clue inside Kono's stuffed bear. Chin paused for a moment, concern mounting, yet he was at a loss to find a way to engage him. Instead, he put the bagged evidence on the Smart table to pull a spare pair of gloves out from his pocket. The toy, along with a few other things from his cousin's home, would be delivered within the hour to the Crime Scene Unit's busy lab. But first, he needed to see what had poked his fingers from inside the hidden pouch.

Emotionally distressed by his own failings, it was Danny who stood so silently across from his friend, already rocking wearily against the same large computer table. He was only half-watching Chin's fingers pull the toy from the evidence bag to unzip the small pouch. Lost in thought about what he had allowed to happen, he was resentfully trying to manage the sickly ache in his body. Sensitive scabs had formed on the right side of his face, across his knuckles, and more dotted his chest and ribcage in an ugly pattern. The same scattering crusted under his loose-fitting slacks where his thigh and knee had connected with coarse rocky sand earned when tossed mercilessly under water. All of those areas were bruised, touched by swelling and boasting fresh darkish purpling colors to add insult to skin which was already badly abused.

However, these were not the worst of his physical injuries. A white bandage covered the deep wound on his left temple from the photographer's first stunningly hard blow. Now stitched, it remained sore and the resulting concussion was a main culprit behind a drilling headache which refused to quit. Another blackish bruise drew a swollen line across his jawbone, under which a painful bone bruise made it difficult to talk or eat comfortably. And to top off his discomfort, Danny's shoulder had been relocated back into its joint and the appendage was strapped firmly to his chest, leaving him with the use of only one arm.

Miserable both body and soul, he had stayed in the hospital for twenty-four hours while his team focused on locating Kono. And as he'd promised, Ponch had played the part of liaison by keeping the team informed and offering constant reassurances that Danny's condition was typical based upon physical stressors and the drugs prescribed to get him through the painful events. On the positive side, x-rays of Danny's face and skull appeared normal; as did follow-up films of his shoulder that proved he'd not sustained any additional fractures. And if there was one blessing, because of the prescribed midazolam, Danny didn't remember his shoulder being moved back into its rightful place upon waking.

Only released that morning from the hospital, he was strongly advised by his physicians to go home to recuperate. Ten days worth of total rest aided by a battery of prescribed medications. What he did though was precisely the opposite. Since he did remember portions of the attack and fully blamed himself for Kono's abduction, Danny immediately insisted upon joining his team at 5-0 headquarters.

"Sketch artist?" Danny softly slurred his question, needing to pick words and keep his sentences short in order to avoid moving his jaw too widely. He had met with an artist and she had rendered a very rough rendition of the photographer based on his best description. A description which wasn't very good. In fact, the end result was far from impressive, but they were all pulling at straws and Danny had needed to try something ... anything to move the investigation in a positive direction.

"Nothing," Chin ground out, scowling even more deeply as he pulled a small gold ankle bracelet out from the teddy bear's toy heart. Briefly distracted by his find, Chin still understood with just those two simple words what Danny meant. He glanced up, meeting the complex field of pain in Danny's eyes with sympathy.

"No, nothing's come of it yet, Danny." Chin softened his tone when he saw the flare of hope fade just as his own had done. But the sketch was raw at best, and they hadn't been any hits in the system; meaning it was much too imperfect of a rendering, or their unknown subject had no record.

"What the hell is this though?" He muttered thoughtfully under his breath, returning to study the small chain. He held it high, dangling it gently in his fingers where it swayed between them. The gold sparkled in the light and was no doubt of a very real intrinsic value. He paused, a deep crease causing a homely array of wrinkles to mar his complexion. Something stirred in his mind and his head unconsciously cocked to the side.

Still deep in thought, he was slow to place the bracelet in the plastic evidence bag along with the small teddy bear. He hung his head head, thinking, eyes closing while heavily leaning against the table's coldly dispassionate surface.

When Chin offered nothing else but that pensive lull, Danny's eyes dropped to the table after briefly lingering over the stuffed animal and its pricey treasure. Neither of which made a real impact because he was just as distracted and hardly able to stay on his feet. He couldn't conjure the energy to utter a single word to boost Chin's fortitude or find a way to improve any of their moods. Frankly, he'd been frantically trapped within the confines of the hospital doing precisely the same as his team: worrying, chasing mental ghosts and angrily reacting to the smallest of interruptions.

But he'd at least had hope there; within the sterile walls of his hospital room, he had hope that he'd be released to find that Steve and Chin had discovered something of value. Or, even better ... that Kono had come home. He sighed in a hopeless sense of frustration, grimacing when a stray painfully sharp ping in his shoulder joined the unrelenting thump in his head.

"It's not your fault, Danny." The solemn whispers were completely unexpected, as was the intensity behind the words. "It isn't your fault, brah. You can't blame yourself."

Despite a flare of agony, Danny's head shot up at the soft utterance to come eye to eye with his friend. He'd no idea that Chin had reopened his eyes and altered his focus to study his flagging body.

"Danny?" Chin's soft prompt was filled with compassion. An emotion which Danny didn't deserve, especially coming from Kono's cousin. He stared at Chin for a long moment before shaking his head to dismiss the statements, object to the entreaty, and to simply turn away to hobble soundlessly back to his office.

As he watched him go, Chin measured the hunched posture and the way Danny cradled his wounded arm to his body. His voice remained concerned as it followed the escape down the short hallway. "You should be home … resting. Give yourself a chance to get back on your feet, Danny."

Whatever else Chin said was lost in Danny's slow departure. As far as he was concerned, what had happened to Kono was entirely his fault …. his responsibility. It didn't matter if they'd been on a beach or in the midst of an investigation. As a seasoned professional, he simply knew more and had seen more; he knew better and because he didn't act sooner, the worst thing imaginable had happened. Danny's steady but uncomfortable gait, tripped away from the main room as he simply hobbled away to dwell in his own brand of misery.

_Losing Kono was unforgivable._

Steve watched the two from his office, paying scant attention to the Governor who was expressing as much concern about Kono's disappearance as they were experiencing first-hand. From where he sat, Chin had yet to move from the Smart table though his hands were suddenly flying with an astonishing dexterity. Oddly, the small teddy bear sat innocently center stage and the toy seemed to now have captured Chin's full attention. Though he'd heard of it, Steve hadn't seen the toy bear before that morning and he frowned when Chin leaned over to examine it again before resuming whatever he was working on.

"Damn it," Steve muttered softly. The Governor was still speaking, but Steve wasn't suddenly listening as he rubbed eyes which burned miserably in his head. Then he attacked his face one-handed, accidentally heaving a sigh into the phone to the Governor's instantly voiced consternation. His apology was quick, perhaps even too much so, and Steve ended the call before he could make matters worse. He was on his feet and through his office door, already forgetting what the Governor had to say, to chase down his wayward partner.

None of them had eaten or slept since the abduction, however his partner looked bad and Steve was highly concerned when he saw Danny slump behind his desk.

"Damn it," Steve murmured under his breath for a second time. Upon release from the hospital, Danny had insisted upon returning to the offices despite the freshness of his wounds and apparent exhaustion.

It clearly wasn't a good idea.

Danny was sick and in significant pain. Ponch disapproved the decision, as well as Doctors Lennon and Fratelli. Both Steve and Chin understood the medical recommendations and perhaps even agreed. Nonetheless, there was no arguing amongst the three members of the team as they all redoubled - actually now tripled - their efforts in earnest.

"If not a recent case, an old one," Danny slurred carefully when Steve showed up in his doorway. He pointedly ignored the disapproving look, as well as the bone deep aches embedded around his entire torso which competed with an ongoing migraine. Meds would make him more tired than he already was, so other than the antibiotic and taking a regular over-the-counter analgesic, Danny had no intention of taking anything prescribed unless absolutely necessary.

"We tried, Danny," Steve gently reminded him. "You know that." Torn once more about the decisions being made, Steve studied his friend's weakening posture. There was a very real physical ache deeply seated in his injured body, but the bruised chin remained set with a dogged level of defiance.

"More," Danny slurred as way of demanding they look again to review everything they had at their combined disposal with a fine-toothed comb. "We look again."

"Don't waste your time," Chin said. Trotting nearly on Steve's heels, he interrupted the two, glowering in frustration at Danny's obvious level of discomfort. His jaw clenched before relenting with an understanding sigh. As Steve now felt, he also disapproved Danny's participation in the office. However, neither saw fit to verbally object Danny's presence.

At least, not yet.

"I found something else and it relates to what we have from the crime scene," Chin stated. "I really think I'm right about this and you're both going to be very surprised."

After investigating the crime scene themselves and getting the final disappointing report from forensics on Kono's car, he and Steve had spent an endless number of hours scouring their case files and questioning as many people as possible. That was what they had committed to at least up until the moment that the CSU lab had called with an interesting find. Something which coincided with Danny's gut instincts in regard to the existence of their elusive photographer. What they had now was a broken plastic casing and a piece of glass found literally underneath the impressive bulk of the dumpster. A very special piece of plastic and a portion of a unique thick glass which the CSU lab confirmed as being associated to a rather expensive brand of professional camera equipment.

The damaged photography equipment and Danny's adamant convictions combined to prompt Chin with a long-lost memory. It was something only he could know and so, Chin had completely changed gears to further ransack his cousin's house. It was there he had rediscovered the small plush teddy bear and something else which he'd taken on a whim - Kono's large personal scrapbook which practically burst at its well-worn seams. Since taking the bear and now having discovered the ankle bracelet, he knew why his brain had begun to make a connection before he even realized it was happening. Now, that old musty memory solidified and his conviction grew with a determined vengeance.

"He gave this to her and it's our next biggest clue." With a soft thump and a crinkle of plastic, he plopped the seemingly benign teddy bear on Danny's desk and then thumbed the gold chain inside the bag off to the side. "Check out this bracelet."

"I know that, but what the hell's that thing doing here?" Danny glowered from were he sat, shifting uncomfortably in his chair and ready for an argument. They were each on edge with frayed tempers and stumbling over themselves to rehash and second-guess the merest hint of a clue. He was only upset and his annoyed question was more rhetorical than anything else.

"I'm sorry, Chin," Danny sighed apologetically. He knew the toy was pegged to be delivered to the CSU lab but it was a blatant reminder of his failings and of the kidnapper's skillful game. He found the plush toy difficult to look at despite the fact that Chin seemed newly intrigued. "The bracelet was inside?" He asked after eyeing the teddy bear's rude cross-stitched grin and blood-red heart.

Steve's face fell unhappily as his partner painfully leaned back in his office chair. Danny's face was lined with fatigue, an ongoing depression and a myriad of obvious physical woes which did nothing to aid in his own condemnation.

"Are you okay?" Steve whispered softly. His eyes bore into Danny's, begging him to rest. However, the result was an ingrained fury and Steve pursed his lips worriedly before he dropped his gaze in defeat.

"Just ... You need to listen to me. We've been going down the wrong path. We've all been wrong by thinking we need to focus on case work." Having shouldered past Steve to enter the office, Chin worriedly weighed Danny's expression, yet he almost couldn't hide his excitement.

"What do you mean?" Steve asked. "What do you have?"

Besides bringing in the bear, he was holding a thin file folder and the scrapbook, which they were indeed surprised to see stored a number of old newspaper clippings and articles from Kono's early competitive days. "I think this guy is from when she was surfing, Danny." Where Chin had once been guessing, the idea felt entirely right and at first, he intentionally engaged his injured friend. In every way imaginable, his supposition simply felt perfectly correct.

"The bracelet was inside the heart. There's a small zipper across the back which Kono never noticed," Chin explained. With pride, he shuffled through the old articles which included a number of professionally taken and published photographs. He scattered a number of them across Danny's desk as if he were shuffling an expansive deck of cards.

"Nice." Though he remained upset, Danny couldn't help grinning back at the deep selection of articles and memorabilia. "She's about Grace's age here?" "She's … so good."

He chuffed an amazed sound mixed with sadness because a twelve-year old Kono was battering a wave sans fear and with only a triumphant smile plastered across her face. "No wonder she's always yelling at me," Danny murmured under his breath, earning a wry grin from both his friends. The waves she'd been coaching him on were nowhere near the caliber of what she was capable of and he made another weary noise before rubbing his face with one hand.

"She was better than good, brah," Chin continued with a gentle proud smile. "She was outstanding for her age and had developed quite a following. Mostly kids - young girls - around the same peer group. But, there were a couple of odd, standouts who showed up. A couple of one-off admirers who simply didn't fit the mold."

"It's been years, Chin," Steve noted as he rounded on the desk to stand over Danny. However, his comment was only mildly disbelieving of where Chin's hypothesis was taking them since he was quite interested in the possibilities.

Steve looked up as Chin pulled one picture out from a standard looking office file folder. It was an older police report focusing on a gangly older teenage boy with shoulder-length dreadlocks and cocky sneer.

"He looks pleasant. Who's this?" He asked sarcastically, frowning in momentary confusion when Chin lined it up against the artist's rendition of Danny's incredibly limited sketch.

"I just printed that from our archives. Meet Christopher Reed." Chin was sure now as he closely watched for Steve's reaction, then glanced towards Danny who was nearly inhaling the faint similarities. As limited as the sketched rendition was, they almost didn't need it now as three pairs of eyes met in rapt consideration. With an agreeable smile, Chin made it clear that Reed was the man on his very short list of possible subjects. "He went by Cristo on the streets … and he was a lot of trouble. Long story short, he gave Kono a gold necklace,very much like this ankle bracelet, on her fourteenth birthday."

"Seriously?" Danny struggled to his feet to better view the iffy comparisons for himself. There was no way he could be sure; he simply had never seen their stalker face to face and any judge or jury might even laugh at the exaggerated allegations.

"Damn it," Danny grimaced at his weaknesses. He wobbled unsteadily, forced to lean into Steve as his left hand crab-walked the old photo of the teenager closer so he could study it. Chin was asking for affirmation and he couldn't give it. Regardless of that, Chin's theory could very well be a sound one.

"It's a start and maybe a damned good one. Where is this guy today?" Danny stared at the boy's eyes and then closed his own to think. He fought to remember the blackness that was the depths of his brain before he'd been put down by the photographer. He shook his head in disgust causing a flux of dizzying vertigo to dim his vision with a vengeance. "Damn it," he moaned for a new reason as his office tilted and he tipped dangerously off-kilter.

"Danny, sit down," Steve had a firm hold of his bicep, keeping him upright and then guiding backwards to the chair as his partner paled and wobbled unsteadily.

"No, wait. I think it's him." Despite briefly arguing, Danny allowed himself to be eased back down while insisting on pulling the pictures along with him. He had to sit regardless because it was either that or fall as he lost his sense of balance.

"There's no way to be sure off this sketch," Chin admitted softly. "We all want it to be someone. But you never were close enough to see him face to face." He grimaced because Danny wanted it to be someone; they all wanted it to be someone and this person worked on first blush. Yet he knew they were all grasping desperately at any straw as each minute ticked by.

"We can't be positive. But ... _but_ I agree that Reed's a decent start and even more than a darn good one," Chin concurred.

"I'm sorry," Danny suddenly muttered, feeling nauseous and swallowing hard while he palmed the space between his eyes. He was sorry for not seeing the photographers' face, for being taken by surprise and worst of all, for losing Kono.

"Chin, I'm so sorry." He ignored the soft soothing rebuttals of both his friends as he fought to make incomplete images whole as he so badly wanted them to be. His voice was low and even raspy as he rubbed his eyes in vain. "I think it is … he's close … could be him. Take the dreadlocks away and age him up … it could very well be him."

"We discussed this and I don't blame you at all, Danny." Chin ghosted a smile as he glanced worriedly towards Steve. "You could have been killed, brah. Besides, this is entirely my fault if I'm right. No one else's fault but my own."

Danny snorted in derision, the sound resonating into his jaw and making him wince. "How exactly does that work?"

"Because I never told her," Chin simply stated. He shrugged helplessly as his eyes darkened with a watery foreboding. "It was my job to protect her and I chose to do that by completely shielding her."

"She was a child at the time," Danny murmured. "What else were you supposed to do?"

"Instruct and guide her better than I did. Especially as she got older because she could have handled knowing about the likes of Cristo Reed," Chin softly added, shaking his head with a rueful blame. "Forewarned is forearmed, right?"

Steve sucked in a worried breath as his two teammates slowly berated themselves. But there was something worse which Chin was on the cusp of verbalizing and Steve cursed in understanding. "So if this Reed guy is back, then she was no idea who he is?" Steve asked.

"Not a single clue," Chin admitted. For a moment, he looked as if a few tears might escape and then it was gone. If he was indeed correct, he had no time to wallow.

"Anyway, I think this is the right way to go. Reed fits my hunch and we have nothing else at this point. The age would be right and it's a good enough lead," Chin agreed, the left corner of his mouth twitched in concern and his next words were hesitant because his initial search didn't yield anything positive. "He hasn't been on Oahu for years … he left after the restraining order was put into place. Obviously, I haven't had enough time to dig in; but we need to dig deeper on this."

"What did he do? What happened?" Steve cautiously asked, one hand left to rest supportively on Danny's shoulder. To his increasing dismay, stress was seeping from every fiber of his friend's body. Any one of the three physicians who had managed Danny's case would be up in arms at that very moment. Their orders were remarkably consistent in that he go home and rest for at least a full week. But Danny couldn't rest and he simply wouldn't until Kono was found.

"He showed up when Kono was about twelve … and overstayed his welcome," Chin mused in remembrance, not entirely surprised when Danny looked up to show an unabashed flush of anger.

"Twelve?" Danny blurted, unsure if he'd heard correctly. "That young?"

"Yeah, brah. Twelve." Chin's confirming reply was curt and solidified by a firm nod. "It was never quite right because he was easily five or so years older. Then … he stayed. I saw him everywhere; on the beach during practice, near her grammar school, and on our block. You tell me why a seventeen or eighteen year old would ever be interested in a child?"

His voice had accidentally increased in volume as his emotions took the better of him and Chin stopped to regain composure and gather his own thoughts. What had occurred was so long ago, he'd practically forgotten about it.

"Danny, if this is Cristo or someone very much like him, it's not your fault." He tried to instill a calmness, though his own heart was breaking in two. "It's mine."

Chin had protected Kono all those years ago and to some extent, still did. But now, his head was telling him that a certain threat he though long gone was back. He was morbidly worried about his cousin once more, but with Danny constantly lambasting himself in similar guilt and now reacting emotionally in kind, he found himself searching for better words.

"We couldn't trace all the anonymous gifts … but a great deal of the cards, flowers and a few inappropriate gifts were thought to have come from Cristo. Bracelets, necklaces; expensive ones. Three were identified as stolen articles and returned to their rightful owners. That was all bad enough, but the biggest issue became Cristo's penchant for taking pictures of Kono … constantly … everywhere. Like the worst paparazzo you can imagine."

"Pictures?" The word caused an instant reaction as Danny physically jolted under Steve's hand.

"Yeah. The kid didn't seem to realize that I'd noticed him; but I had. When you see the same person showing up at every single competition - someone so out of place and who clearly doesn't belong - you tend to notice. It's another valid reason to consider this guy," Chin sneered in disgust as he recounted the occasion in the hospital after Kono's career-ending surfing accident.

"Cristo also staked out the hospital when Kono got hurt. In short, there was an altercation and he was bodily removed from the facility. After that, I had a restraining order slapped into place."

Steve groaned aloud. "And Kono never knew about this?"

"Never," Chin grimaced. "She was devastated by the accident. Why ever would I lay this Cristo issue on top of all of that?"

It was a truthful and honest admission. It even sounded reasonable saying it again, but Chin couldn't find peace. "I should have told her. At some point after all this time, I should have told her."

"This is how a stalker is born? I'm going to be sick," Danny held the sling to his body, his good arm cradling it protectively. "So this maniac is older …. still has this sick obsession … and now he's come back for Kono?" It was all too much to consider and he didn't want to think what an old pedophile-like stalker might do after years of perceived rejection.

"Let's go … we need to check him out," Danny stumbled up again, ignoring Steve's quiet hiss of objection and subsequent refusal to remove a sturdy hand from his elbow. "Smart table … it's better."

He was impressed that neither of his friends had yet to initiate the pending argument about his participation, especially when he inelegantly sagged in place to hit his own desk with a hip.

"I'm okay," Danny whispered when Steve literally put a steadying arm around his shoulders. Obstinance required that he not look up, so Danny stared at the scrapbook. He inanely studied how a young Kono had proudly decorated the cover with faux flowers. Faded in color and worn with love, pinks and yellows were now dusky and fragile. But in spite of the moody silence he received in return, he could feel the spike of worry mushrooming around him as Steve held him upright. It was only then that Danny realized that Chin was less than an inch from his nose.

"I'm fine. Let's look this guy up," Danny insisted as they regarded each other for a long moment. Bent over to peer up into his face and with a rock-hard expression, Chin was about to break the original unspoken promise.

But it was indeed Steve who made the ultimate decision.

"No. Not you. If you plan on staying here, you're going to lay down in my office," Steve announced with a finality that wasn't too be argued. Under his hand and only a few brief hours post release from the hospital and Danny's body was beginning to break down from stress.

"We need to find her," Danny breathed around a plaintive, helplessly broken voice. Chin was equally as wrecked as he joined Steve in helping their sick friend to the larger office.

"Oh, we will find her," Steve made the vow for the trio as they made the short trek down the hallway with Danny propped between them. If Danny collapsed just hours from being discharged, it wouldn't even be classified as a relapse. "We will. But you can write off Ramirez this time, because Kono would have your head for risking yourself like this, Danno." The threat combined a number of emotions amongst them. And though Danny's mouth fell open, he found nothing to say or object to.

However, he faltered noticeably and they paused for a long moment before he began moving just barely under his own steam. The distressed looks shared over the top of the bowed blonde head added to all of their ongoing levels of anxiety. Chin's expression communicated a sincere message. In return, Steve could only silently agree that his partner risked a relapse but continue with the quiet support based on Danny's wishes to remain involved. His guilt and need to help were things which not one of them could truly argue, though they would each rally to protect the other as much as humanly possible.

"We'll check out this Christopher Reed, we'll find her, and then … make no doubt, we'll bring her home," Chin concurred as he helped ease Danny to the couch in Steve's office. With Kono missing, they were too soon to have another friend in such dire physical straits as Danny's eyes scrunched closed against the threat of a very real migraine. Looks were shared again when two pairs of hands guided him back and Danny didn't object their insistent care. "But you need to take it easy, too. Seriously, Steve's right - you know you can't kickstart your first day out of the hospital like this, Danny."

"It doesn't matter," Danny muttered, tormented at seeing the pain so clearly marking Chin's eyes. He didn't care if he ran himself into the ground if the end result brought Kono home.

"Yes it does," Chin replied firmly. "It definitely matters."

But something else was being communicated and Danny narrowed his eyes defensively. Both men were finally calling it quits on his behalf.

"No," Danny said out loud, verbalizing what he saw not only in Steve's face, but finally in each of his two friends. "No, I'm staying. I'm good and I can't … I just can't sit at home, doing nothing." He shook his head, entirely refusing the no longer subtle plea communicated by Steve to go home; to allow the rest of his team to manage without him. "We get Kono back … we get her back. Now. Today."

"We will," Steve reiterated firmly. He was standing behind Chin who was still crouched low as Danny's eyes closed despite what he'd just stated. Without asking permission, he returned to Danny's office for anti-inflammatories and other prescribed drugs.

"But if you stay here, then I'm not letting you say no. Take them," Steve demanded, dropping two of the prescription pain relievers into Danny's palm before handing him a small cup of water. "I know what you said about falling asleep, but you need them, Danno. At least for today, you need them. Please, take them."

The silent response was laced with frustration when Danny looked from Steve to Chin. Their mutual respect was there, as was their combined appeal, and so Danny swallowed the medication without further argument.

"Get some rest, Danny. One of us will let you know as soon as we find something out about Reed," Steve sighed in relief as Danny acquiesced to their pressure. "We're right here and we'll wake you if we get a hit or find anything out that we can act on."

"Okay, okay," Danny muttered, part of him relieved at the compromise as he sank into the couch.

"We'll get her back," Steve reiterated firmly. Based upon the significant nature of tone alone, the promise was clear that Kono would be rescued in one whole, safe piece. However what he saw in Chin's expressive eyes was ten times more telling.

Danny watched them working together, shoulder to shoulder, for as long as he could before his own eyes decided they were throwing up a white flag of surrender. He fell asleep confident in at least one thing.

What happened to their subject in the end - whomever he or she might wind up being - their personal fate would likely be an entirely different affair.

**_~ to be continued ~_**


	6. Chapter 6

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

_**Notes: **__ku`uipo = sweetheart_

_**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***_

_"I have little left in myself - I must have you. The world may laugh - may call me absurd, selfish - but it does not signify. _

_My very soul demands you: it will be satisfied, or it will take deadly vengeance on its frame." _

_― Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre_

**Chapter Six: ****_No Kau a Kau ~ For Eternity_**

"Gibberish," Kono muttered under her breath. A disingenuine smile flit across her lips before it was quickly smothered. He had escorted her out of the bedroom prison to a darkened dining room lit only by an obscenely ornate candelabra. The delicious odor of pasta wafted through the room and she could just see his profile from where she had been forced to sit. Chained into place actually; with wrists locked to the chair's sturdy arms. And horrifyingly, a matching pair of leather cuffs covered her ankles with links of chain entwined around the lower spindled legs of her chair.

"I'll be right out, _ku`uipo." _Kono glowered angrily as she allowed her hair to flow forward, covering her face to hide the look in her eyes and the bright bruises covering her cheek. He'd kept her moderately drugged and she could barely think, let alone walk in a straight line. But she possessed enough of her senses to equalize her fear with anger.

"Gibberish," she repeated to herself. Through the veil of her hair, Kono peeked out as he moved around the kitchen. Pots clanged and dishes clacked together as he prepared their dinners and she felt her stomach clench with apprehension. A thread of panic made it's way out of her chest and she roughly tore at her bound wrists though she knew that she was impossibly stuck. "He doesn't know me. Anything he says means nothing ... he's insane." Fingers fisted so tightly that her knuckles went white, Kono froze, the breath stuck in her throat as he appeared in the doorway with two steaming plates in hand.

"Hungry?" He asked, a smile showing off a dual set of dimples near the corners of his mouth. His smile also demonstrated the bluish-black swelling she'd managed to impart on his face during her one and only attempt at escape. Despite being disoriented by drugs, Kono had embraced a slim chance during her first meal with the man. He'd been excited and careless with an arm thrown casually around her shoulder as he helped her from the dark bedroom.

Feigning a stumble, her elbow had slammed solid and true into the side of his face. Topher had fallen to his knees but he'd recovered quickly and she'd not gotten any farther than where she sat now in the dining room. Looking at proof of her single achievement barely giving her a sense of personal pride as her eyes flickered hazily to his food laden hands. "I know you must be starving by now, _ku`uipo._ It's a silly question," he added happily.

Kono winced as he gently put a plate in front of her, fighting another surge in panic as he lay a white napkin across her lap. His fingers lingered by her bruised cheek before he stepped behind her to finger-comb both sides of her long hair behind her ears so it would be away from her face.

"That's better. I'd like to see more of your beautiful eyes. Maybe I can style your hair for you later," he whispered with a gleam of pleasure. He paused, intrigued by the thought of simply brushing her hair before adjusting her plate on the table. "Now though, I made your favorite. Pasta primavera."

"Topher, I'm not hungry," Kono dared to whisper with a careful glance upwards to meet his eye. Without access to a window, Kono had no idea how long she'd been kept locked away. Hours felt like days and then, days like months, even when she was kept passively drugged more than half the time. In a few rarer instances, like at this very moment, she did possess clearer lucidity. However, she had quickly learned to keep her mouth closed the hard way. Resentfully, she needed to accept the fact that she had been abducted by an intelligent psychopath; someone who was obsessed with owning her every breath of air.

The overall end result of knowing the intent of her enemy only slightly softened her constant state of fearful confusion though. She watched him carefully now as she tried to avoid the inevitable. Her refusal to eat was a definite risk which wouldn't be received well. "Please. I'm not hungry," Kono failed at sounding convincing. "Topher?"

"No," his eyes narrowed warningly as he placed his own plate across from her. He stood tall over her, fingers clenching and unclenching sporadically, as he decided how best to react. Her brain registered the threat in the movement and she briefly closed her eyes. "No, you are hungry and I made this meal just for you; it's your favorite and you will eat it."

Kono squirmed uncomfortably in her seat as she waited for the next slap. His anger flickered much too closely to the surface and she automatically quieted in response. It wasn't taking very much for him to become physical with her. Her captor had confessed his one-time real name of _Christopher Reed_ and had even shared his old nickname of _Cristo. _He had been offended by her blank stare, yet had managed to move on because that past was gone anyway and he could justify her ignorance. Still, he explained that _Cristo_ had been his name when he was nothing but a low-life street gang member. With a true delight, he reveled in the fact that _Cristo_ was no more. He celebrated the fact that by changing a few letters of his last name or by coming up with a new nickname or two, he could completely redefine himself.

_"I legally changed my name to Topher Reid," _he had confessed with an incredibly deep sense of pleasure. _"Topher from Christopher, of course. And 'Reid' is obvious ... it completely alters the old spelling of 'Reed' which is so boringly commonplace. Doesn't it, ku`uipo? Very artistic sounding and much more ... what would you call it? More ... creatively classic?" _However, his pleasure in that most important of revelations had been extremely short-lived due to her initial response. Kono's poorly chosen retort had prompted a resurgence in his anger and he'd been unable to quaff his temper as the last word left her lips.

"_Whoever you think you are ... you're still a nothing to me,"_ Kono had slurred sloppily enough as his face swam eerily in front of her eyes. She had snorted in derision, mockingly to find her voice even though her tongue nearly stuck to the roof of her mouth. _"I don't know you ... and never have and I don't want to now."_

His anger had flared immediately upon the heels of her retaliatory jibes. Mere seconds later, her cheek had garnered a deepening bruise, caused by a reactive slap which had sent her head reeling into her bed's hard frame. Tears sparkled in her eyes from the dual attack of hand and iron frame. Her first lesson in how he might manage his love for her was a harsh one, doled out with painful consequences followed by a baffling apology.

_"__I'm sorry, ku`uipo. You shouldn't make me do such things." _ Just as quickly, he had melted in regret to kiss the burn from her cheek and to thumb a pained tear from her eye. Then he had forced a large amount of drugged water down her throat. Enough to make her burble and choke, but he'd been far from remorseful for causing that discomfort. During the entire forced exercise, his tone remained amiable and conversational as he subsequently lay a soft mauve blanket over her legs and kissed the top of her head. _"__By the way, you need to know that because of you, I'm a world class photojournalist. I'm rich and will give you whatever you want. Whatever you need." _

He had left her alone and cuffed to the bed for an unknown period of time to stew in her trapped misery while her cheek burned and tears streaked down her face. She's lost consciousness to a nightmarish hell which she failed at escaping until the drugs slowly began to lighten in her system. When he'd finally returned, she was beginning to rouse and her tears had dried. She'd been leery, but he'd had similarly recovered a tractable demeanor as if nothing had happened at all. However, his next _gift_ to her was unfathomable as he flipped open the lid to his laptop computer while he sat next to her on the bed and presented her with proof of his artistic creativity. As she might have guessed, all the photographs were of her. But to see them first hand and to understand the depths of his personal invasion upon her privacy made her physically ill.

_"So long?"_ Kono had murmured in disbelief, eyes wide as she tried to focus her drug-hazed vision on the bright computer screen. _"You followed me for so long?" _Kono had been shocked to see pictures of herself dating back to a time she could barely remember in grammar school, on the beach, at practice or walking home with a younger Chin, shave ice treat in hand. Only then, had she truly become frightened by the depths of his familiarity with her life. Newer pictures were more memorable to her and her eyes watered as she recognized those taken the day she'd been abducted. If Danny had ever been in any of them, he'd been cropped out entirely.

_Danny_.

With glistening eyes, Kono had looked to Topher in astonishment. A pang tore at her chest because she should have listened ... she should have stayed more aware. She had looked directly at Topher and had suffered the consequences of another error in judgement because she had been wholly unable to hold her tongue. Using his name for the first time, she tried to appeal to an empathy which never existed and was reminded of his fragile temper. "_Please tell me ... where's Danny? Topher, what happened to him?"_

The lid to the laptop had clicked shut with a hard snap and his left hand was flying through the air again. Without a word or any type of warning, the backhanded slap caught her cheek precisely in the same spot as the first and she'd gasped this time at the flush of pain. Her vision had blacked out at the sheer force applied into the reprimand. Breathless and weak, Kono had limply fallen into the deep cushion of pillows completely unable to protect herself or find any new words to placate his anger.

Now as she sat at the dining room table with a fresh dish of pasta seemingly placed so adoringly in front of her, Kono's cheek ached incessantly. The bruising was deep and swelling now touched the right side of her lip making it feel puffy and thick. She could only imagine what it looked like. She went to touch it tentatively, but her cuffed wrist brought her back to the present.

"What?" She murmured softly. Her eyes blinked rapidly, realizing now that she had completely zoned out for a few minutes wondering about Danny's fate. With an effort, she focused on the heated pain in her damaged cheek. The hurt reminded her of where she was and that she needed to pay attention. "_What_ ... what did you say?"

"I said, you need to eat now,_ ku`uipo_, and I'm going to help you," Topher patiently repeated. Kono looked up to see the blurry outline of a fork poised toyingly before her mouth. Tears welled tiredly in her eyes as she rattled the cuffs which were clicked tightly to the arms of the chair. Her ankles were bound similarly as well with no more than eight inches of steel that might only allow her a short shamble at best once he pulled her to her feet.

"Open," Topher urged, a lop-sided smile curving his lips from the painful swelling. Nonetheless, his shining black eyes were dancing playfully as he held the pasta before her mouth. "Come on, my love, open."

He was only just allowing her to eat small birdlike meals once or twice a day while chained in place. After her failed escape attempt, she'd had no food and so was indeed very hungry and constantly thirsty. This new plan which he concocted evidently required that he manually feed her and the methods twisted her stomach into knots but she had little choice as the fork waved enticingly near her nose.

"Kono? I'm sure you're hungry. Yes?" Topher pushed and prodded with an unrelenting purpose. "You're dressed so beautifully tonight and I made your favorite." Kono shook her head as she gazed down at the simple black dress, nearly choking at the much too recent memory of Topher so methodically helping her to change from the red teddy. He'd gone slowly. Caresses had lingered much too long. Left intentionally barefoot, she had been trembling by the time he was done clothing her, positive that something else was going to happen. Instead, he had escorted her - tightly bound - to the dining room where he chained her in place.

"Eat," he demanded, a new tone surfacing which warned her to behave. However, her stomach roiled and she slammed her mouth closed as her sharp inhales whistled loudly through her nose. The fork didn't move and she bit her already sore lip while fighting her own internal struggle.

"No," she murmured briefly again, more about her entrapment then against the food itself. Her fists tightened in fear when his face darkened angrily and she snorted breathlessly through her nose as her wrists flailed against the chair with more determination. In tandem with the drugs, he truly meant to keep her fully reliant on him for virtually everything.

"Open, _ku`uipo,_" he urged, ignoring her surge of panic and eventually pleased when she grudgingly complied to swallow a forkful of bow-tied pasta. "It's good, isn't it? Like I said, I made it just for you. Pasta primavera is one of your favorites. I have to go out today and meet with a few clients, so you had best eat something to tide you over. After, I'll be back so we can enoy our evening together."

Kono barely heard him. Another forkful appeared as soon as she'd swallowed, followed by another and then another. In distress as each bite almost stuck cloyingly in her throat, Kono felt tears welling more as she forced herself to accept the food.

"I bet you're thirsty." While he was drinking a deep red wine, she eyed the water glass by her dish with a knowing fear. She could again refuse, but would have no choice there either. If she declined, he simply provided a more apt motivation or a sedative by needle. He would then force the tainted water on her afterwards to double the effects.

"Ready, darling?" Topher waited for her to swallow her food before quietly setting the fork down. It didn't matter that she was weakly confused, he still didn't dare trust her after barely three days of conditioning. His one bout of kindness during their first full day together and a planned romantic breakfast had resulted in that near escape.

It was then that she had managed to use the sharp point of her elbow to connect with the side of his face. He had fallen and she had gained ground away from him on all fours, scrabbling far enough towards the front door. His anger at not only her subterfuge, but at the large bruise marring his cheekbone, knew no bounds and set in motion an escalation of sorts to further provide her with the means to be reminded of their fate together.

Instead of beating her though, Topher had drugged her deeply and left her tightly tied to her bed without food or with very little water. From what she could recall, this plate of pasta was truly the first real food she could recall seeing since ... _before she'd been surfing with Danny._ Tears threatened again and she fought to control her pounding heart. She was too upset to eat ... too worried about Topher's ability to drug her at his whim and wildly panicked at the way he could control everything.

"Kono, you aren't paying attention to me at all, my love," Topher sighed loudly. He cocked his head, studying her closely and weighing the measure of her strength. She was weaker from lack of food and water, yet she possessed an amazing tenacity and he was particularly cautious. He'd only escorted her to the dining room that day after reassuring himself he'd properly balanced her medication requirements.

"Kono?" He rocked his hip to sit on the edge of the table, gently smiling down at her as she gazed blearily ahead. "I can imagine what you might be thinking." He could tell that her wheels were determinedly cranking through her head as she tried to determine day or night, and if she could possibly find a way to escape. Topher grinned as he followed her line of sight to the heavily curtained windows. Outside, the Hawaiian sun was blazingly hot that fine morning, but Kono had no idea. Maintaining that confusion was precisely what he intended in order to keep her off balance and utterly subdued.

"First of all, what you tried to do certainly won't be happening again," Topher advised in a completely different quality of voice when her fingers clenched into a pair of fists around each arm of the chair. The strength in those slim fingers was telling, and he nodded thoughtfully to himself as reached for the water glass. The resulting tremble which thrummed through her body indicated her growing awareness and that only meant that it was time for her next dose.

"Drink it, darling. Now." He didn't hesitate as he sternly placed the crystal glass to her lips. He'd hold her nose if need be or begin their dance by placing the syringe he had in his pocket warningly on the dining room table to make his point known. If that didn't work, the needle would find her neck. But he smiled in pleasure as Kono acquiesced with a quiet half-sob to drink nearly half the glass as some dribbled down her chin to streak her neck and spot her new dress.

"Careful, _ku`uipo,_" he chided her gently, placing the glass down to wipe her face with a soft cloth napkin, dab her neck gently and then linger over the body of her dress. His breath hitched as she fought to keep herself still from his ministrations and he smiled anew. That part would come very soon, but he was simply enjoying something which had taken twelve years to achieve; he deserved to enjoy every long minute with his prize. There was no need to rush. Time was of no consequence. He could wait.

"Finish it," he whispered softly. Seconds later, the glass was back in hand and he was insisting that she drain its contents entirety despite her tearful refusal. "Now that you understand, you need to finish your dinner," Topher resumed his task at hand, ignoring the tears streaming down her face. He forced her to finish the small plate with a firm persistence because she would receive nothing until the following day as he needed to go out that afternoon. She would sleep and he would be confident knowing that fact.

"That's my best girl." With a contented sigh, Topher gently kissed her darkened cheek before taking his own seat in the chair directly across from where she sat.

"My dinner's cold, however it's still quite good. I can tell that you approved of my cooking, too. Another of my talents which I bet you didn't know about." He smirked as he ate his own meal, watching intently as her hands relaxed and her chin began to bob unsteadily towards her chest where a new necklace twinkled in the light.

"So beautiful." Topher smiled happily as he finished his dinner with a satisfied sigh of approval. Eyes closed and head bowed, Kono was breathing deeply as the heavy dose of drugs settled in her system. His life was now completely perfect in every way imaginable and Topher toasted the air in the direction of his beloved.

"Very nice. Very nice, indeed." His swallow of wine was long and appreciative, but he never took his eyes of Kono's passive face.

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	7. Chapter 7

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

_**Notes**_: on we go ... thank you ALL for the very generous reviews!

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter Seven**

**_No Kau a Kau ~ For Eternity_**

Topher was grinning from ear to ear as he merrily tossed his roadster's key fob in the air while taking the steps from his front door, two at a time no less, as he surfaced into the bright sunshine. With hardly a glance over his shoulder, he slid into his dark red Mercedes SL and used his thumb to ignite the engine. The purchase of the fancy two-seater honestly stretched his budget, especially on the heels of buying a sizable piece of real estate on Oahu. But as Topher fully retracted the roof to the impressive car, he knew it all had been well worth the effort.

The Mercedes had arrived just in time. Special ordered over forty-five days earlier, he'd received a call from the dealership a mere hour after he'd gotten Kono safely to her new home. The provident call further validated his life-long plans as each desire fell into place like clockwork. As soon as he could, he'd dumped the old white SUV back into the well-greased hands of a close-mouthed distant _cousin_ once he had assured himself that Kono was aptly tucked away.

From the moment he'd accepted ownership of the car, Topher Reid had been hiding in plain sight, fully anticipating a visit from _them_ at some critical juncture. He knew that protocol would have the police issuing a BOLO on their missing officer, the family would be in a turmoil and that her fellow peers would focus on subjects related to both current and past cases.

These actions would waste time on their part and do nothing but give him more latitude . Of course, _they_ wouldn't find a thing.

Eventually though, Topher knew that someone in particular would delve deeper. And the fact that he almost flamboyantly refused to hide, might bring that confrontation upon himself sooner; but that was part of his plan. He'd be questioned, threatened and released once he passed their allegations. Then, he and Kono would be free to do whatever they wanted; including either staying on the islands or even leaving altogether where they could be assured of eternal peace.

Snorting under his breath while replaying the future sequence of events, Topher only briefly sobered before the content smile was back in place. Lieutenant Chin Ho Kelly would undoubtedly lead that pending charge against him. Nonetheless, it was a challenge which Reid was ready to face, head on. So after ensuring that Kono was safely housed in her plush prison, he was once again out and about running errands, practically begging someone for a confrontation.

With the top down on the classy two-seater, Topher drove to the posh country club to ready himself for the beachside wedding and reception. Everyone knew that Topher Reid was well above the role of wedding photographer. In no great part, his acceptance of this _job_ had grated on his sense of professional worth. Understanding this too, the well-to-do sports legend whom was getting married on the Island had willingly paid an exorbitant sum for Topher Reid's exquisite photographic services. So in truth, he hadn't actually lied about catering to actual work and even attended the role with a bit more enthusiasm for the timely visibility it now provided. Upon his arrival at the fine venue, Topher waltzed arrogantly through the security check-point. He lingered, loitered and made his presence known to the lowliest of busboys up to the minister, himself. After and though he was bored to his very soul, he continued to attend to the newly married couple with an arrogant confidence.

"Excuse me? What?" Topher lowered the camera from his face, schooling his features to avoid appearing as annoyed as he felt. All of about five or six years old, the little flower girl was pulling almost rudely on his shirt sleeve and pointing upwards to his face.

"Does it hurt?" She asked again. She had been infatuated with the tall, handsome photographer as soon as she'd set eyes on him. But he had a black and blue bruise on his cheek and she was childishly concerned on his behalf. "Did you fall?"

"Get back in line, _keiki_. We still need more pictures," Topher chided her with a not so patient sigh. He tried to propel her towards the bride, frowning when the little one refused to budge. Miles away and simultaneously caught up in his work, he had forgotten about the annoying bruise and her serious reminder now irked him.

"I bet it hurts a lot," she persisted, her bottom lip jutting out at the thought. "How did you get it? Did you fall down?"

He narrowed his eyes, glancing up to ensure the rest of the bridal party was at least taking their places. "Uh ... yeah, I fell," Topher agreed quickly in order to end the awkward conversation. Still she waited, using two hands to swing her flower basket to and fro as it hung past her tiny knees. He made an annoyed sound in his throat as he amended his explanation. "No, it doesn't hurt at all."

"Oh," she breathed out, seemingly relieved as a tiny smile perked one side of her mouth. Her fingers fumbled in her basket, yanking and tugging until she gained her prize. Her smile broadened happily at her success as a few colorful petals fluttered to the grassy lawn. "Here, mister."

Topher looked down at the long stemmed flower held so high between them in a fisted set of pudgy fingers. The head of the flower bobbed in the breeze and even trembled as the little hand stretched higher. "Take it," she demanded as she stood on her toes to thrust upwards. She had chosen the prettiest flower and was determined to make the man smile. "So you feel better."

"I don't want ... _fine_," he said almost too curtly, clearly annoyed as he took the bloom causing the little face to fall in disappointment. Topher rocked his jaw hard to the right as her dark eyes welled almost instantly. He cursed under his breath because this was not the type of attention he wanted to garner. Though he was loathe to do it, he hunkered down to get on the flower girl's level. Without a word, he found a way to shorten the stem so that he could wend it through one of the button holes on his jacket. "Okay? Now get back in place, _keiki_."

She hesitated with basket in hand, wanting more from the handsome photographer. She lost her smile in confusion, doe-eyes clearly asking him for attention. Instead, he placed a hand on her head to pivot her towards the picturesque ensemble. "Go to your mother," he said, aiming her for one of the bridesmaids with a gentle shove.

From that point on, Topher might have had a pretty flower stuffed through a button hole, but he completely forgot his encounter with the saddened flower girl. Focused on getting his job done while feeling the pressure of time leering over his shoulder, he was simultaneously preoccupied with thoughts of Kono.

He frowned uncomfortably as an odd sensation prickled the back of his neck and he stopped to gaze around the posh venue. The event was winding down and guests were beginning to depart; also his cue to do the same and he sighed in relief. However, something suddenly felt off and he paused longer to study everyone in his vicinity. He saw nothing though except for happy guests celebrating the union of two very special people.

Topher snorted under his breath, a wry smile pursing his lips. There was nothing - _no one_ - to be concerned about and only Kono to return home for. At that pleasant thought, he even dared to whistle the wedding march as he repacked his expensive equipment with a diligent care. A check of his watch reassured him that Kono would still be sleeping and he made a spontaneous decision to visit Ehukai Beach Park. There, in the midst of a busy parking lot, he would sit openly in his new car and enjoy the remnants of a fine afternoon.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

If Topher Reid thought he was being ignored, he couldn't have been more mistaken. While Danny slept in the office, Chin and Steve had quickly identified his legal name change from Christopher Reed to Topher Reid in Denver, Colorado nearly six years earlier. Though they were struggling to confirm his current location, floodgates of information on the man had been opened.

"What can you tell us about him?" Steve asked. "Is he still in Denver?" He and Chin had developed a rough outline of Reid's life, the latter half of which was more impressive than they had anticipated. "Is he on assignment somewhere?"

_"Let me start with telling you that Topher's a pompous, arrogant bastard. He's a pain in the ass to work with. For all of that, I can't deny that he delivers,"_ Casey Mark, the editor for a popular sports magazine informed them by phone. _"But I guess that's evident based on how busy he is and the accolades he's won." _The man they were speaking to sounded older and hardened based on the coarseness of his voice alone. Steve could envision the lit cigarette dangling from a lopsided mouth as he rasped and coughed each word into the connection.

At first intrigued by their findings, Chin felt his hopes about Reid fading. Casey Mark was the third magazine editor they'd contacted once they'd discovered the facts around Topher Reid's employment. By far, this editor had been the most helpful. Mark further explained that Topher Reid only took those assignments that he wanted and when he freelanced, sold to the highest bidder. He held no loyalties per se and led an almost nomadic lifestyle. In general and as reconfirmed thrice by Casey Mark, the comments about Reid's mercurial personality were also consistent: he lacked friends, didn't stay long and had an enormous ego. Regardless, the formerly troubled young man had a career and a good one at that. He was wealthy, well known and if not well liked amongst his peers, he was definitely respected.

_"Do I know where he is right now? Not actually ... no. He's hard to pin down and only takes on assignments as he sees fit. But with his reputation, he can afford to do that."_ The editor paused before trying to answer Steve's last question. The lengthy amount of dead air allowed Chin and Steve time to share a dismal look about the pending collapse of what might have been a solid lead. Chin sighed deeply as he looked away from the Smart table to where Danny was sleeping. Besides locating Kono, the failure had more riding on it and losing Reid as a suspect would still be something which Chin, himself, would have difficulty letting go.

There was a series of loud phlegmy coughs on the intercom which made both men wince in distate until Casey Mark cleared his throat well enough to make one very important statement. _"Rumor has it that he's in your neck of the world actually. Martino Mantz is getting married this month in Hawaii and he asked Topher to cover the wedding. I can't say if he agreed or not; weddings are well beneath Topher's usual repertoire."_

"Martino Mantz?" Steve stumbled over the name as he stared with interest at the phone as if he could see Mark through osmosis. A lot of very special interaction was lost without being able to see someone face to face, however the editor sounded impressed. Across from him, Chin's fingers were already hammering the display. His fingerips thudded duly on the Smart table's surface as he quickly pulled up Mantz and his eyes literally bugged out at the date of the man's nuptials.

The hoarse laugh ended on a bark, followed up by a sickly cough. _"World class soccer player from Spain. Reid's Hawaiian, which I'm sure you're well aware of. Mantz tried to use that as a hook, plus his ample checkbook, but I don't know how it all worked out. Like I said, Reid's a pompous bastard and may have declined. Still, my suggestion is look under your noses. It's the best I can do ... by the way, what do you want with Topher?"_

The question was perfectly appropriate yet now, the silence which resonated during the conversation was owned by both Chin and Steve. "We just need to ask him a few questions about someone he used to know," Steve vaguely offered the inquisitive editor.

_"Cloak and daggers, gentlemen?" _Casey Mark coughed and gagged around another throaty laugh. _"Whatever. I've kept a secret or two in my own line of work. It's something I understand well; if__ I hear anything else about Reid, I'll let you boys know._"

The click on the opposite side of the Pacific ended the call almost too abruptly, but Chin was in the process of swiping the Mantz-Harmon wedding details to the main overhead screen. "Today ... the damned wedding is today. Royal Hawaiian."

Steve rapped the table hard with his knuckles as Chin virtually vibrated in place waiting for the pending permission. His eyes were broodingly dark as he considered the proper next step. They had nothing but conjecture and didn't even know if Reid was covering Mantz's wedding. It wasn't yet worth waking Danny ... almost, yet not quite the right time. With a worried glance towards his office, Steve wanted to be in two places at once but his executive decision would wind up being fair as Chin voiced his thoughts verbatim.

"I'd like to crash that wedding," Chin said snidely before walking over to the glass to peer inside the office so he could see the couch. "I don't think he's moved an inch and he looks just as bad. Even sleeping, Steve."

"Get out there," Steve finally conceded. "I want an unmarked unit in the wings to back you up ... take notes and ask questions. I want updates every thirty minutes. See what's there and who's there, Chin. Then we decide what to do. "

Chin was out the door before Steve even finished speaking, gathering gear and contacting HPD for support while on the run. Steve didn't need to add that Chin was prohibited to act if he saw Reid at the wedding venue; that was understood. However, there was zero doubt that the photojournalist could count on a rather relentless shadow.

Virtually tip-toeing, Steve snuck back into his office with plans to quietly use his own computer and manage communications with Chin. For the hundredth time, he wondered how right Chin's hunch might be about Topher Reid and Kono's past history. And then, if so, how dangerous the now grown _street-kid_ could be because of so many unknowns. Steve frowned as he stood over Danny who lay partially on his side to avoid putting weight on his healing shoulder.

He dragged a weary hand over his face since Chin was at least right about one thing thus far: Danny did look bad. It wasn't going to happen, but his partner needed to be home and resting in a real bed. As he stared down at the sleeping man, Danny's earlier words came to his mind and Steve winced at the recent memory. _"This is how a stalker is born?"_

Of course his thoughts flew to Kono and where she might be or if she could be badly injured. He grimaced almost in pain at the sheer lack of communication from her kidnapper. Other than Reid as an option, they had no other leads ... nothing at all to act upon. Steve shook his head ruefully as his stress mounted. He did take time to tally what they did have from Danny's poor eye-witness accounts, to the damaged pieces of plastic and glass which the CSU lab determined had come from expensive photographic equipment.

"It's not a bad start," Steve softly murmured. He pursed his lips thoughtfully as he considered the very interesting fact that Reid could be on Oahu attending a wedding. Coincidence? Maybe, but maybe not one at all. In fact, they've had less to work on and gained more. Wanting to also be on the move, Steve's frustrated sigh was louder than he intended it to be. He accidentally disturbed Danny who briefly fidgeted in place before relaxing once more.

Choosing to focus on the possibilities, Steve quietly moved to sit behind his desk. No matter where he was, Danny needed to sleep. While he rested, Chin would be crashing the wedding of an international sports star with the intent of locating a very attractive person of interest. Though he was frustrated and extremely worried about what might happen next, Steve would wait.

They at least had _something_ and it was good enough to re-energzie a feeling of hope.

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	8. Chapter 8

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

_**Notes**_: another tough chapter which the muse demanded be re-massaged and tweaked

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* **

**Chapter Eight**

**_No Kau a Kau ~ For Eternity_**

After more than an hour of sitting at the beach's lot, Topher finally left the overlook with his newly acquired shadow. Chin had been stunned to see Reid at the wedding; stunned but oddly thrilled. Calling every thirty minutes or even sooner as events began to change with more rapidity, he had recently called again to finalize their next steps.

_"It's him,"_ Chin had reported back to Steve the very instant he'd spied the photographer at the wedding and he repeated himself again as their suspect left Ehukai Beach. _"I don't believe this ... I mean, I do ... but really, Steve, I don't believe this is happening. What the hell is going on?"_

_"I know,"_ Steve replied, just as astonished. _"We don't have enough yet so stay on him. Call me when he lands." _There was an emotional timbre to Chin's voice leaving no doubt that his friend felt that Reid's mere existence on the island was enough. Frankly, Steve agreed wholeheartedly but with no concept of where Kono might be, they couldn't afford to spook the man or make a single mistake. They desperately needed to act and had no time to wait nor enough evidence for a search warrant. As each minute elapsed to take Kono farther away, they simply didn't have the luxury of time on their side.

Forty-five minutes had elapsed since the last call, however Chin had been texting a play by play as he followed Reid to an upscale residential neighborhood on the North Shore. Assuming they'd be traveling back to a posh hotel, Chin remained shocked by the palatial estate which Reid pulled into. Stopping short of the long drive, Chin watched his suspect lazily guide his Mercedes though the double gates, park and thumb a security keypad prior to entering the large front door.

_"He's not shy,"_ Chin texted after sending the address. Though the message was short, there was no lack of angry sarcasm. _"Mercedes? Now this?"_

_"Remember what Casey Mark said."_ Steve slyly texted back, knowing that Chin would understand he was referring to the editor's comments about Reid being a '_pompous arrogant bastard_'. Both men had run the address though the system and were baffled by what they learned - Topher Reid had purchased the Mercedes sportster and the large home. This truth put their timeline completely off.

He'd not returned to attend a wedding; he'd moved right back onto the island, months earlier than even one of his own editors were aware.

For all intents, the man was back: permanently and that fact now shot him straight to the top of their very short list.

On a razor's edge and beside himself with concern, the game plan was for Chin to stakeout the house until Steve arrived so that they could pay the man a very personal visit. Steve - and preferably not Danny - though each knew that keeping their friend benched would be virtually impossible. They also knew their visit would pose an undeniable risk to Kono's safety. On the flip side though, such a visit would send a particularly well-defined message if Reid were indeed their culprit.

"Hey," Steve breathed out softly, a worried wince creasing his face as he knelt down next to the couch. He was about to do something which he didn't want to do, yet he'd made a promise. "Danny?' He softly coaxed his partner awake, a hand to his good shoulder and another wrapped around the wrist peeking out from the sling. "Danny? Time to go, buddy."

Danny frowned unhappily as he came up from his deep sleep. Almost on cue, his head immediately ached and his neck felt like a brittle spindle that would break if he dared move from where he lay. His entire body was leaden as he roused to look lazily up into Steve's face. Instinctively knowing that to move would incur a flood of pain, he allowed himself to wake carefully. His eyes closed momentarily, but only to gain ground and find energy stores which he certainly didn't possess despite his afternoon of napping. Steve waited him out, and for that, Danny was more than appreciative.

"Something ... happen? CSU?" His mouth was virtually gummed closed and it took an effort to find enough moisture to speak. But that was only his body. Even with a headache, his brain was lightyears ahead as his eyes opened to settle firmly on Steve's face.

"Yeah, but not with the lab. The toy and bracelet were dropped off though," Steve agreed and amended Danny's first assumption before voicing what would be a distinctly unpopular idea. For the hours of having slept though, his partner didn't look much better. "I'd like you to stay here while Chin and I figure this out."

"No way," Danny retorted, yet he still didn't move as he garnered stores of energy from a depleted body. He had a headache and could cope with something as minor as that which made staying behind not an option.

"It's nothing but a headache, Steven," Danny insisted, his eyes squinting against the light in the office, but resolute to get moving. "Help me up. What do we have ... what is it?"

The resulting sigh was half displeased moan as Steve briefly hid his face behind one hand before measuring the sickly pale hue of Danny's complexion, worsened by the pinched expression which was arguing against a persistent migraine. His respect for Danny ran deep and he'd never lie to his friend or force him to remain behind. However this time, he wished with all his heart that Danny would agree to wait in the office. When he finally replied, he was already helping his friend to his feet. "Topher Reid is here on the island. Chin's got eyes on him ... we're going to pay him a personal visit at his lovely new McMansion."

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Topher Reid heard the warning beep as one, and then two vehicles broke the infrared security barrier for his main drive. As he'd been doing since he'd moved in, the large iron double gates remained open at least until sundown. A fine welcome which blatantly shouted his purported lack of guilt. He smiled contentedly as he studied the two vehicles and then nearly laughed out loud when Kelly got out of the first.

"I'm impressed. That certainly didn't take too long." A few thoughtful taps of his computer later and his smart tv was broadcasting a loop of the Mantz-Harmon wedding and pleasant music was being piped through the house. The doorbell chimed just as he was refilling his wine glass and he lingered long enough to take a satisfying sip before casually answering the door.

There, he was confronted by Kono's barely in control cousin. Expecting a battalion of armed men, Kelly only had two others in tow though, and oddly enough, one was the injured blonde haole.

"Gentlemen?" Topher allowed his eyes to slide over the three, but it was a battle for him not react at the sight of the mainlander. The unspectacular appearance definitely got his attention, so much so, he was shortly unnerved.

The badge and gun on the man's belt indicated that he was an officer of the law and Topher felt a ripple of anger tingle his fingers. He feigned nonchalance but felt a quiet tide of fury sparkle dangerously because Kono had lied to him. Her surfing student ... her supposed _friend_ ... was a haole cop and worse yet, a co-worker.

"How may I help you?" Ever so slightly Topher raised an eyebrow while intentionally communicating a strong sense of confused calm. He asked his simple question with a congenial smile, wondering if he should dare allow them to enter or demand a search warrant. His mental shrug approved the first option to further his innocence. Recovering his thoughts quickly, Topher realized that for the first time, he'd made a small error as Chin Ho's eyes settled on the bruised portion of his face.

"Five-0 ... the Governor's task force ... and we're here to speak to you about a particular case," Chin smirked through his official pleasantries as Topher lounged arrogantly in his doorway. The wine glass was an interesting prop as was the subtle music leaking out onto the front steps. But Chin wanted more and he inherently knew without a doubt that he was now facing Kono's kidnapper. The team only needed to prove motive ... and then a way into the large house. In actuality, it didn't matter which happened first; Chin would take either if he found Kono and brought Reid to his knees.

"So, Cristo Reed. You changed your name and what? You've come home?" Chin briefly paused before cocking his head quizzically to the right at the deep bruise gracing the fleshy part of Reid's cheek. "What happened here?"

"Cristo? Well, I haven't been referred as that in quite some time." Topher shrugged, ignoring the question about his purpling bruise and hardly registering the reference to Five-0 or what it might mean. Kono's elbow had been sharp and the results indeed poorly placed as three sets of eyes bore into his skin. Nonetheless, with a deceitful ease, Topher duly demonstrated a modicum of uncertainty at what should continually be perceived as an unexpected visit.

"Yes on both counts. My legal name is now Topher Reid; that young fool _Cristo_ is long gone from my life. However, I'm sorry for being caught off-guard by your visit, but should I know you?" He purred his words lightly, a baffled nod to the two other stern looking men who flanked Kono's cousin. He made a show of eyeing their badges, another frown intentionally creasing his face. "Five-0? What's this about a task force? Are you officers? Police? What can I do for you ... is something wrong?"

"Seriously?" Chin breathed out. His anger flared and he fought to control a desire to simply overwhelm the photographer on the spot. Next to him, Steve fidgeted to remind him of taking due caution as the air changed around them to a much more troubled realm. "Are you really going to try and say that you don't know me?" Tension radiated from Chin's stance as he studied the changes in the adult version of Cristo Reed. The lanky unkempt boy was indeed gone. The handsome man before him was tall and well-built. He came across as decently educated, worldly even. However, he held a subtle physical strength topped off with a defiant arrogance. Topher Reid had become used to getting his way and as such, was dangerous. Both things which Chin could literally feel.

"You have me at a distinct disadvantage, gentlemen," Topher toyed with the wine in his glass, swirling it gently before taking a small sip. His eyes dropped to the goblet as he answered, then sighing softly before looking up to once again meet Chin's glare eye to eye. "What ... _who_ are you all?"

"Lieutenant Kelly," Chin barely kept his temper in check as he was virtually forced to introduce himself, and then both Steve and Danny. The swelling on Reid's face was all he required to see and he felt his friends bristling in tandem. There was no doubt amongst the three that Kono had managed to score at least one point against Reid. Yet, they had no real proof and had to bide their time to find the right opening. "This is Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett, our C.O., and Detective Danny Williams. We'd like to come in and ask you a few questions. But for starters, we want to know what happened to your face."

If Chin had anticipated a feral reaction to his appearance, he was clearly disappointed because Topher remained unflappable except for the tightening of his fingers around the wine glass he held. He nodded at their introductions and then had the gall to pause as if considering their request to enter. His eyes briefly fell on the shorter detective to quickly take note of the bandaged head wound and the vibrant display of swollen, colorful skin covering his face. Slightly hunched as if in pain, the man's right arm was tucked protectively to his chest as if it also might be injured, though Topher couldn't be entirely certain. Those were the only clues to the extent of the haole's injuries except for the positioning of the team's commander. The taller dark-haired man, McGarrett, was purposefully staged by the blonde haole's side as if he might need to put out a hand out to physically prevent a fall to the hard pavement.

The advent of evening was still warm and the setting sun was brightly cascading off the glass of the front door. Topher had indeed forgotten about the bruise on his cheek, but he pleased himself by hiding any overt reaction to the ongoing question about how'd he'd gotten it. Instead, he purposefully allowed the large glass door to stay as it was, stalling to provide an even more brilliant reflection of the sun into the haole's already watery eyes. Without a doubt, the dazzling flare of light was toying with the man's general feelings of ill-health.

"Of course." Topher finally drawled his agreement, grandly opening his door wide to allow them entrance. "Gentlemen, come in and perhaps we can discuss whatever this is about in more detail. I'd be happy to oblige. I must say though … the Detective here, looks rather ill. Were you injured in the line of duty?"

"No." Voicing a curt reply, Danny fisted his left hand in frustration. He had insisted on removing the sling to look less handicapped. The concept was almost laughable for the appearance of the bruises on his own jaw and face. His hands were still scabbed and raw looking, but his headache continued to be his most debilitating issue. Having almost conquered the worst of the migraine in the car, the bright sunshine and a few stressful moments on Reid's doorstep exacerbated the pain back to an astronomical level.

As he entered the main foyer, Danny growled angrily under his breath at his body's ongoing treachery. He had no time for any of it ... more importantly, _Kono_ had no time for it, either. In a few short minutes of having left the truck, Steve was virtually holding him up, and the emotional stress of being face to face with the man whom he believed to be his attacker - _Kono's abductor_ - was unraveling whatever stamina remained in his body.

"We need to talk," Danny forced his voice to remain even-toned and managed around a slight slur sparked from his sore jaw. For added balance and to provide what he could in terms of emotional support, he settled his free hand on the small of Chin's back. "We'll come in … _talk_ … look around."

"Of course." Reid's fluid turn on his heel was decidedly indifferent as he led them into the large open main area. With a sigh telling of the generosity of his valuable time, he motioned for them to sit as he comfortably sank into his accustomed armchair. He sniffed in amusement when the three kept their feet which seemed to be folly for the weakening haole.

"So, what happened to your face?" Steve took over for his two teammates who were seething in anger. "Let's begin there since you have yet to answer Lieutenant Kelly's question and I'm also very interested to know." To his side, Chin was in a quiet rage from an age-old vendetta. And despite the nauseating pain of a migraine and his own steadying grip, Danny was near to verbally leaping into battle. In truth, Steve wasn't doing much better when it came to controlling his emotions.

"I tripped," Topher replied with a gentle finger or two to his cheekbone. His explanation was founded upon the simple query of an enamored five year old flower girl, and he allowed the lie to flourish as if it were the truth. "New house. Packed boxes. I took a header in the dark on the way to my ensuite. Simply put ... I fell."

"Ensuite?" Danny glowered at the benign use of the word. "Tripped?" Standing in front of Chin and next to Steve, he was virtually rocking on his toes as he eyed Reid with an avid interest. For a moment adrenalin replaced the blinding pain of his migraine as he snorted in disbelief. "You seriously expect us to believe that you fell?"

"Yes, Detective," Reid calmly concurred. "After failing to turn on a light, I stupidly _fell_ over moving boxes which I had yet to unpack in my bedroom."

The resulting silence was deafening amongst the four with the three team members staring at the photographer in varying degrees of animosity. For Reid's part, he managed to let the smothering stillness continue becuase it meant that the authorities might suspect him, yet they had nothing to act upon. With a coldness born from years of being trod upon, his attitude was boldly calculated as he acknowledged the gauntlet which had been thrown down.

"Why are you really here?" Topher asked. He inhaled sharply, his eyes altering to glitter with a deeper intensity. "What's this case about that you so desperately need to discuss it with me ... of all people?"

"So, Cristo … are you really going to tell me that you don't remember me?" Chin altered the tact of the conversation by effectively sneering out the old gang name as an intentional taunt. His next comments were pointed and clearly designed to get closer to the real reason behind the man's return. "You moved to the mainland twelve years ago as Cristo Reed to eventually settle in Denver where you've done quite well for yourself. It seems that you've become a highly regarded photojournalist; interesting how your _skills_ with a camera seem to have acquired a better use. But I want to know ... why are you back?"

"As for my legal name change, it was done for professional reasons. It was done legally, but is there a problem with that? I can't imagine it's related to one of your cases." He smiled, almost innocently enough but was thoroughly enjoying the subtleties of the antagonistic banter. The haole was upset and in obvious discomfort from what appeared to be a hefty migraine. Kelly and the team's commander were decidedly walking a thin rope but loathe to make an error. All of these things helped Topher calm his initial flare of rage - he was controlling them like puppets. "With this interesting homework that you've done, you still haven't told me what you all are doing here. What case?"

"Officer Kono Kalakaua," Steve folded his arms, taking center stage as he stood over the seated photographer. "She was abducted almost three days ago."

"And what?" Topher laughed out right, his eyes twinkling merrily. "You think it was me? I don't even know what your talking about! Officer Kalakaua?"

"I don't appreciate this game so I suggest that you think a little bit harder because you know exactly who we're talking about and why," Chin warned, his anger no longer in check when Reid took a long moment to nod as if the challenge prompted him to recall his past run in with the Honolulu Police Department. But the method of his response nearly sent Chin over his catastrophic edge. Only Steve's warning breath in his ear kept his feet squarely under him as he stood over the sprawled Reid.

"Ah, yes," Reid softly noted, a thoughtful eye flickering up towards the ceiling. "Kono. And those old false accusations about some stolen property. You were part of the team that saw fit to condemn me. There was that foolishness about a restraining order ... over ... Kono, yet again. Do I remember right that she's your cousin? So because of my past and the fact that I'm quite literally back on Oahu, I'm now a person of interest? Sounds rather ... desperate if you ask me." Topher glared warningly over the rim of the wine glass which he held delicately to his lips. Words were being minced and the game was in full swing. Still, this team had little if he were still sitting so idly within his own home. If they thought he might make an error, they would be sorely mistaken.

"Incredible," Topher breathed around a sinister smile. "Guilty by association? A rather dark-aged mentality."

Chin's lips thinned whitely. He was being toyed with as the photographer danced around Kono and the old restraining order. Cristo - now Topher - was certainly a changed man, but Chin was certain it had only to do with a few alphabetical characters on a sheet of paper. That, and the odd mannerisms of speech coupled with an acquired wealth. Topher Reid was a very dangerous person and his arrogant confidence only worsened old nefarious tendencies.

"Bluntly put, yes," Chin growled out. "You're top of the list in fact."

"That's very ...interesting. Why do you think that I might know something about this abduction?" Reid asked as he began to feign a rising insult.

"You moved back to Oahu a few months ago. Why?" Chin pushed, knowing he had little to go on as the three anxiously looking for a hole in the man's cool demeanor.

"I missed my home and I have the means to return based upon the success of my career," Topher shrugged. His attitude was calm, relaxed and it purposefully annoyed the three men to no end. "If this is your evidence of wrong-doing gentlemen, I must say you're entirely off base."

"No, I know you ... I saw you," Danny wavered in place, his fading mental stamina warring with an uncomfortable queasiness in his stomach. "You were on the beach at Ehukai a few days ago taking pictures. Before that, you were at a number of other beaches where Kono and I just happened to be."

"Ehukai? I was there this evening as well!" Topher chuckled, his eyes widening in mock delight. "Ehukai is a favorite of mine and I am a photographer after all. How is this exactly relevant?"

"There's more," Danny growled a warning, his finger pointing dangerously towards the man whose smile refused to leave his face. "You were there three days ago and exactly at the same time Officer Kalakaua was abducted."

Danny almost let too much more information drop; fatigue and anger were nearly getting the best of him. But the pieces of damaged camera equipment discovered in the parking lot under the dumpster would be their trump card. The knowledge that the fragments came from a highly specialized and very expensive camera would be this man's final undoing.

"Coincidence," Topher drawled almost too casually. He should ask a number of questions himself, but held his tongue as if playing the fool in his false sense of confusion. He purposefully hesitated before his voice rose in anger as stared defiantly into Chin Ho's equally perturbed face. Fighting fire with fire, he jumped right into the fray while aiming each of his words at Kono's cousin.

"You listen to me. I wasn't involved with her then and if you're implying the same, you're sorely mistaken. I'm a person of interest because I moved back to Hawaii? I'm sorry that she's missing, but I fail to see how my penchant for taking pictures on that particular beach or any other renders me a suspect! Especially just prior to a storm when the lighting is absolutely perfect."

He threw the latter in for reaction as he glanced casually to the blonde detective, delighted when he saw the haole's face turn a startling shade of crimson. "I'm sorry," Topher blinked in mock dismay as the detective coughed harshly. The wince was obvious, too, and he swayed alarmingly. "Have I said something wrong … or is he very ill?"

"Danny … sit. Have a seat." The taller commander automatically intervened with a hushed whisper. There was a lull and an entire switch in attention as the detective was forced to sit in the closest chair.

"Water. I'll be right back." Acting the dutiful host, Topher smoothly gained his feet with a concerned oath to leave the Five-0 men for a glass of water. The crystal tumbler was thrust quickly into McGarrett's hand to pass along to the ill detective. With a disgusted smirk, he realized that he wasn't trusted enough even to provide an ordinary glass of water as the detective waved off the offer.

"I'm genuinely sorry that I can't be of more help," Topher said, his tone becoming definitive in its dismissiveness. "In fact, I believe we're done here until you return with a search warrant." His attention was entirely focused on McGarrett now, a purposeful ploy to avoid eye contact with either the enraged Chin Ho or the ill Detective. As the senior officer, he would be the one to put an end to the pains of the interrogation. However, Topher found himself resentfully needing to mind their visit a bit longer based on the commander's next demand.

"We'd like to look around," Steve dug in harder despite not being entirely in the right without possessing a warrant.

"What? As part of my civic duty?" Topher pursed his lips thoughtfully.

"If you're as innocent as you insist," Steve paraphrased the man's words closely. His tone of voice clearly communicated the dare. "Then what's the harm?"

"Whatever you like," Topher responded carefully. "I've nothing to hide." He glanced to the seated detective, unfazed by the aggrieved expression or the shaky hands. As he caught the injured man's eye, he shrugged before reiterating the sentiment. Inside though, Topher was amused by the officer's true vicinity to the object of his quest because the hidden access to the renovated wine cellar was literally behind the entertainment system.

He glanced at the loop of the wedding, smiling when the Detective's eye followed with an uncomfortable squint. The little flower girl had just rotated into view. "No, I've got nothing to hide at all."

"Chin," Steve motioned meaningfully towards the far end of the large rambling house. He watched as his friend aggressively stalked away before surveying every nook and cranny in the near vicinity. The main living area consisted of a large open space, sparsely decorated. However, there was an organized library of sorts with a prettily constructed desk which seemed to also house a variety of cases that could hold photographic equipment.

"That's my office area," Reid suddenly objected the intrusion. Still, Steve approached that dedicated space in order to casually pick through the items. Based on the immediate tone, he'd found the first sore point with the man and was intrigued.

"What's in here?" Steve pushed rudely. But as his hand fell on a large stainless steel case and as he picked it up, Reid's voice angrily boomed by his side.

"Please don't touch that or any of my equipment. It's all very expensive," the photographer demanded. "I've been kind enough to allow you in; but I will not permit you to take this farce any further."

For the first time, Topher felt a trill thrum warningly through his body as the team's commander regarded him. They knew something more; he could sense it. "No one touches my equipment." The dark-haired commander matched him in size. They were effectively shoulder to shoulder and nearly nose to nose as Topher physically removed the case from the man's hands.

"You're taking my generosity much too far," Topher warned hotly, after the commander relinquished his hold. His tone was now threatening in every possible way and he glowered when he noticed that the detective had regained his feet. Standing in support of his partner, the haole was sweaty and pale, but he'd adopted a dangerous expression.

"Really," Steve took a few steps forward, forcing Reid to yield in kind until the only thing separating them was the silver case. "I'm honestly not sure we can take this far enough. You'll have to work hard to convince us otherwise." Apparently meeting Reid head on was something of which the photographer was not accustomed.

"So, Reid," Steve snarled so softly that even Danny barely heard him. "Why are you _really_ here?"

Steve's eyes narrowed as Reid defensively squared his shoulders to push back. The man had a vile temper which completely altered his very appearance once it came to the fore. As the niceties faded along with his calm mode of speaking, so did the pleasant looks and amenable expression.

"Get out," Reid snarled. "Get that _Kelly_ ... and get out of here. Now."

Behind them, Chin was returning with a distressed look etched on his face. However, he did have a bit of evidence tucked into his pocket; a few strands of hair pried gently from a brush and comb openly left in the palatial master bathroom.

The house was large, yet nearly empty. Only the one master bedroom was furnished while the other four were nothing but hollow shells which even lacked window treatments. He'd opened doors, sniffed in the most obtuse of places, looked for evidence and briefly investigated closets. He'd gone outside twice to view the lanai, rear of the house and its private beach access. But he'd come up empty each and every time. Rather than voicing that fact, Chin shook his head once to communicate his lack of findings to both Danny and Steve, though his fingers lingered by a pocket to send another subtle note.

"You're being watched so closely that you're going to need permission to just _use_ your damned _ensuite_," Steve advised, sharing a tight smile as Reid stalked to the foyer, intent now on personally escorting them all out of his home. He gathered his two teammates with a curt nod and then made it clear he would abide the request, albeit only temporarily.

"We will be back; and you can count on it being very, very soon. By the way, keep in mind that you'll regret our next visit more than you can possibly imagine," Steve promised, his entire upper body inserted directly into Reid's limited personal space.

"I said get out," Reid snapped, his voice finally rising as he lost any semblance of calm. "Now!"

The front door was flung wide open to allow the setting sun's rays to trail brightly into the house. This time, he winced along with the ill detective who needed to use the foyer wall to steady himself. The sun was not only blinding in its intensity, Topher was in a decidedly foul frame of mind.

"As for this or any other future time, it's my lawyer you'll be dealing with." With those parting words, he stood framed by his ornate front door as he watched them leave. Angry and defiant, he stood there larger than life with a look which dared they contest him.

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	9. Chapter 9

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

_**Notes**_: warning: whumpage alert! whumpage alert! umm, yeah - and a bit of a cliffie. My continued thanks for your patience with these obstinate muses.

_Ko`u Aloha = My Love_

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

_"All extremes of feeling are allied with madness." _

_― Virginia Woolf, Orlando_

**Chapter Nine: _No Kau a Kau ~ For Eternity_**

Prior to getting in his truck, Steve paused long enough to slap Danny's sling back onto his body, angrily mumbling about the photojournalist being unable to see what he was doing when his friend objected the oddly gentle manhandling. The second spat of complaints faded quickly for a number of reasons. Primarily because Danny thought Steve's was probably a valid statement for the mind-numbing glare of the setting sun and the way the large truck had been parked. The pool of light had made seeing from Reid's front door quite literally, impossible. Secondly, Danny stopped talking because he was just too tired to care.

The sun was setting rapidly, but not fast enough. Even though he was now in the shade, Danny grimaced since the first swell of overly bright glare from Reid's front door had pushed what he'd thought the threshold of his migraine up another incomprehensible five notches. He could hardly help Steve when his arm was threaded carefully through the material. Nausea was now a definite and he automatically put his left hand out to stabilize himself against the side of the truck when Steve velcro'ed the fabric around his back. "Need to sit," Danny admitted, his eyes closed as sweat beaded his forehead and a dire warning floated through his stomach. He was going to be sick, but damned if it would be in the middle of Topher Reid's lovely crescent-shaped drive.

"Steve," he whispered airily as a sour gorge rose in his throat. An ill chill and a sick feeling stole any other comments, leaving him to solely focus on breathing in an attempt to squash what was on their heels.

"Gimme a second," Steve cursed as he finished the last strap and got a new look at Danny's face. "Shit, Danno. Get in the truck." If his partner had been under the weather before, he suddenly looked as if he might literally keel over on the spot. Steve's hands were deft as they quickly supported and moved Danny into the passenger seat, his concern mounting when all conversation ceased.

Still, Steve's mind was simultaneously miles away as he rehashed Reid's worrisome demeanor. There was no doubt that he was their man; yet, where he'd hidden Kono was a complicated mystery. He looked up as he jogged around to the driver's side, catching Chin's eye to share a short message about the evidence taken from the photographer's house. Once on the road, they'd contact each other via hands-free and discuss their next steps. But until those few minutes were gained away from Reid's property, the grim smile was all Steve required to understand that Chin was relatively satisfied with his cache. Regardless of what they would discuss next, he would be driving once more to the CSU labs for urgent processing.

Danny winced and wearily closed his eyes as the door to the driver's side of the truck firmly closed and the engine roared to life. His head rocked against the glass window as he allowed the curve of the truck's path to push him in that direction; then there was a double bump as they hit the pavement to the tertiary road. He hissed under his breath when his lazy slouch to the right jarred his bad shoulder. With an effort, Danny readjusted himself off the door to rest deeper into the bucket seat, but it wasn't much better. The desire to vomit was becoming overwhelming and he simply couldn't find a way to comfortably place his head to find any relief. Making matters worse, he had nothing left in his physical reserves and wasn't entirely sure as to _why_. He shivered as the air conditioning hit his face and then leaked almost painfully through this sweat-stained dress shirt. Like both this friends though, and despite his body's increasing failures, he was dwelling on Reid and Kono.

"What did you get?" Steve had speed dialed Chin who was leading their way back to the main highway. His voice was deep, demanding and it thudded the ache in Danny's head.

_"Two evidence bags,"_ Chin replied, his voice echoing over the hands-free speaker in the cabin of the truck. _"One from the hair brush in Reid's bathroom and the second, from a comb just in case ... we'll get DNA off one or both of these. I'm hoping the lab gets us a break with the damned toy bear ... or the ankle bracelet. Something ... anything."_

"He _ha'sh_ ... has 'er," Danny whispered sloppily. His eyes were closed and his face pinched in pain. Steve's lip twitched in concern when he glanced to take another look at his partner. The short sentence was almost too soft to hear and Steve wasn't certain at first what Danny had said.

"Agreed," Steve noted to both his teammates, rightly assuming the general tact. "Reid's our man. There's no doubt. None." He was dividing his attention as he drove and watched Danny, yet he nearly smiled when he heard the chuffed disgusted sound from Chin though the hands-free. There was a slight quirk to Danny's lip despite his closed eyes and Steve felt his unease slightly level off.

"Did _Ch'n_ say there's a _br_ .. _brsh_?" Danny frowned blindly when he pictured a hair brush in his brain but barely got the actual word out. He chastised himself for his error and need to rephrase his question. "Brush. I meant ... _brush_. Lab ... should process it."

"Yeah, Danny. He did and he's going to the lab right now," Steve affirmed, as he glanced once to the road and then back to his partner, before coming to a particular set of conclusions. His unease tingled when Danny stated the obvious about the lab, as if he hadn't heard what Chin had just said or understood how they'd be dividing their time. And even though he knew Danny's jaw was painful, something else seemed to be going on with his speech pattern.

"The only issue is _where_ he's got Kono. Chin, touch base with me when you get to the lab; we'll need a plan regardless of their findings," Steve quietly added. Another quizzical look was aimed Danny's way, but his friend remained unnaturally subdued.

_"We're not waiting,"_ Chin said. His voice was an interesting combination of demand, expectation and question._ "I've left the unmarked patrol unit on the street."_

"No and good," Steve replied with a haughty smirk. The unmarked HPD unit would be their eyes and ears in the short-term, because they would be returning that very night. He sobered though with another glance at his weakly slouched friend. Danny was coated in a sheen of sweat. Spasmodic swallows were becoming desperate and Steve shook his head ruefully when a dry gag emanated to his right and Danny feebly moved his knees under the dashboard. The unease in his chest fluttered warningly and the second half of his decision was easily validated as he mentally charted the proper route to the hospital from their current location. "Chin, I'm taking a short diversion for Danny. Stay on course."

_"W'ass m'tt'r?"_ Danny muttered as he pried his eyes open just enough to see the blurred outline of Steve's profile. He had more to say and tried. A funny thought about Steve doing a _thing_ back in Reid's house skittered through his head and his lip quirked up in self-amusement. But his eyes were sliding closed again as the top of his head was drilled as if by a hot poker and his stomach twisted. He gagged dryly, unable to bend in half as his body so badly wanted but was trapped by seatbelt and slung arm. Instead, he settled for fisting his shirt with his left hand near his middle when a roiling pain settled in his stomach.

"I did ... _'n _do," Danny softy mumbled, a tiny smirk lifting one side of his mouth. "_Def'nitl'y_ ... do. Yeah."

"What?" Steve did a stunned double-take, his face completely altered now to one of alarm. His partner's eyes had yet to open through the short litany and a confused frown creased his sweaty face. "You do what, Danny?"

Danny's mouth soundlessly opened and then closed as he inhaled weakly through his nose to vainly crush another urge to vomit. He coughed again and gagged helplessly. His last thoughts were that he wanted to go back and tear Reid's place from to bottom.

A _thing_ ... Steve should have done a crazy-assed _thing_.

He would have approved the dangerous tactic this time and Chin would have more than agreed, too. Heart and soul fully invested, Danny did want to go back because he knew Reid had Kono. But his body was about to fail. He could feel it coming with every rotation of the truck's heavy tires. Danny's hands fisted as he fought to regain his equilibrium and train of thought. Both were impossible though. There was a vise around his head and yet, he felt like his brain was dissolving and leaking away like grains of sand.

"Steve?" He barely whispered his plea. Confused by his body's sudden refusal to respond, he breathed out heavily. He breathed out just once and then simply fell silent.

_"Danny? Are you alright?"_ Steve's voice tunneled and ebbed back. Danny clearly heard him, but couldn't find react as his head slid to the left towards the center console where only the strap of the seatbelt stopped him from sliding even more. _"Danny! What's wrong?"_

"Danny! Shit, Chin!" Steve couldn't prevent the disbelieving gasps from leaving his mouth as Danny literally passed out before him, his free hand falling limply away from a badly bunched up shirt. Over the hands-free speaker, he heard Chin's startled questions and glanced over the hood of his truck to spy Chin's head bobbing as if he could see them more clearly in his rearview mirror.

_"Steve? What the hell's going on in there?" _Chin's car briefly swerved as he took his eyes from the road. _"What happened?" _

"Something's really wrong with Danny and I'm hitting the lights ... I'll call you from the hospital. Get to the lab." The frenetic tone and acceleration of the truck combined and blended with other orders for Chin to attend to his original plans with the CSU lab. Sirens clamored to an impossible din and Steve bypassed Chin's smaller car as if it had been standing still. In reaction, Danny's upper body began to sway with the increasing motion of their travel while Steve wove through traffic. With his last conscious memory, Danny more sensed than felt Steve's fingers fumbling for his neck.

There was another stunned flurry of curses and then ... _Nothing_.

Whatever happened next, Danny missed it all as the loud hum of the Silverado's big engine sucked him under.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Kono woke with a thick, sticky film covering her tongue which also left her lips feeling as if they were glued shut. However, her head was more clear than it had been in hours. She lay there measuring her stores of energy and attempting to cope with her situation. Still, a feeling of depression descended upon her, stifling in its intensity, as she surveyed her surroundings with a hateful expression.

"They'll come," she murmured softly. She knew that Steve and Chin would be searching for her. But Danny ... she still didn't know about him and could only hope that he was okay with Topher being so close-mouthed.

"Damn it," Kono said, feeling the unwanted heat of tears threaten her eyes. She heard a distant sliding sound and knew what was coming. She didn't want to deal with _him_ or his much too timely doses of sedation. She tried to will Reid away, yet she distinctly heard the movement on the outside of her room well before the heavy first door slid open. Footsteps descended towards the smaller door to her room a few seconds later and Kono couldn't deny that she was truly afraid. There was no point to trying to convince herself of anything else because it would be a blatant a lie. What she focused on though was using the fear to be aware and look for an opportunity. Her anger dried any actual tears even though her heart refused to stop its rapid beat which she could feel clear into her throat.

He'd restrained both her hands for the duration of his long absence and she had to squirrel herself more upright to a sitting position. The change made her head spin, but she forcibly pushed the feeling away to focus with a firmer intention. She was terribly thirsty and her stomach was uncomfortably empty. But the sounds of Reid's coming entry galvanized her into action. Her arms were splayed to the sides, yet she still managed to get her back braced against the ornate headboard. She naturally wanted to sit on her knees to raise her upper body even higher, but that would inhibit her use of her legs ... and she would need them if he got close enough.

_If he did_ ... because Topher Reid was the epitome of caution. He sensed her strength and seemed to know that she could do any number of things when given a chance. All she required was an opportunity for a well-placed kick or even two, but it would need to be absolutely perfect. Her other issue was something she was determined to ignore. Her general feelings of a physical weakness were alarming. Lack of enough food and untainted liquid were wreaking havoc with her system. She barely needed to use the pitifully small bathroom despite the hours of being left alone. Her prison was cold, too, and she knew again that she was being kept uncomfortable -_ utterly dependent upon him_ - on purpose. He wanted her to ask -_ probably to shamelessly beg_ - for the smallest of crumbs to gain comfort.

"Not doing it," she whispered to herself. Another sound clicked outside her room as locks were removed and her hands fisted in determination. She was bone-tired down to her very soul from the ongoing use of drugs and the games played which kept her guessing about the passage of time. But Chin and Steve would find her. She just prayed their arrival would be much sooner than her cheating mind was beginning to whisper.

The door swung open as Topher burst in. His eyes were full of a diabolical anger and Kono steeled herself against something she hadn't quite anticipated. Her heartbeat escalated to an alarming level as Reid overwhelmed the room in his rage. He had never returned in a such a state and for a moment, any of Kono's thoughts about finding an opening completely disappeared.

Kono watched him warily, the sound of harsh breathing the only evidence that he might be trying to control himself.

"Detective. Danny. Williams." Topher announced each word as a death knell. His hands were tensely fisted much like Kono's, except his left held a powerful syringe. He smirked as any color in Kono's face dwindled away to nothing. He was intent on hurting her tantamount to what she'd just done to him with her ongoing lies about her student ... her _friend_. The visit from the Five-0 task force had delivered many messages, yet Topher could only dwell on one fine, particular point. _The devoted haole._

"What about him?" Kono's mouth was beyond dry as the tympanic beat in her throat picked up in cadence. She knew without the shadow of a doubt that she'd never shared anything more than Danny's first name. She'd erred on the side of caution, allowing Topher to set that dangerous stage without intentionally giving him more emotional ammunition. However, something had happened and he knew more. He knew things that he obviously didn't like and had likely manipulated into an untruth.

"Your student and so-called _friend_," Topher spat each syllable out angrily. He minced each one as his face reddened and his body began to shake in reaction. "He was a damned _cop_. On this ridiculous Governor's task force. You worked with him. Every day."

"He's my friend," Kono was trembling as the tension rose unsteadily in the small room. The fact that Reid was speaking in the past tense didn't escape her, but she refused to go there with what he might be implying. "I'm teaching him how to surf. He's just a friend, Topher. I told you that already."

She also tried to placate him by remaining calm and using his name, again. Kono's trepidation grew as she stared into his face. Based upon his expression alone, Reid was approaching a dangerous level and she had no where to go. She'd never be able to defend herself to the extent she'd need to stay alive. Her mind raced as she readied herself as best as possible, but his next words even took that limited planning away from her.

"Surfing? No. Your damned _boy_friend is dead," Topher waited a hairsbreadth for his words to sink in and her response didn't disappoint. "He's dead and gone!" Kono paled even more, her mouth gaped and she inhaled sharply. The physical reaction was strong and was all he needed to justify his belief that Kono and the blonde haole had been having an affair.

"You lied to me," Topher snapped suddenly. His goal was to maim her personally for her infidelity and as Kono lost eye contact with him, he bolted forward to grasp her right forearm. She was unprepared on every level and she found herself trembling at the shock of his rude delivery.

"You lied, _ko`u aloha." _His lips were next to her ear whispering over and over again as he emptied the contents of the syringe deeply into a vein. He hissed and twisted her trapped arm painfully to intentionally leave what would be thick bruising. "You lied to me about a loser haole who was more than a friend; but that doesn't matter anymore because he's dead."

She barely felt the needle or the strong fingers embedded in her arm. On some level, she felt the frightening heat fill her veins. It flowed through her even faster for the out-of-control thrumming of her heart and her sudden inability to breathe normally. But she couldn't process what he had just said; there was no way that Danny was actually dead.

"No, no he's not," Kono argued back, shaking her head and forgetting her vow to find an opening to escape. She also forgot to watch her words and her genuine response made Reid sneer knowingly. "Not Danny. He's ... he's not dead!"

Real tears filled her eyes, spilling down her cheeks as he grasped her chin to kiss her hard on the mouth. The kiss was brutal, bringing blood to her bottom lip as his teeth scraped along its length. He painfully took away the last of her breath as a line was crossed. When he finally released her, Reid retained a firm hold of her chin between thumb and forefinger in order to force her to look up into his face. His psychopathic expression was one which she wouldn't be able to identify even if her addled mind had decided to cooperate.

"Your detective boyfriend is dead, Kono," Reid hissed. He pinched her chin before letting her head drop. "He's dead. Your cousin is next. And you ... _you_ aren't going anywhere because you're mine. You always have been ... and you always will be."

Gasping wildly for breath and losing a struggle to stay conscious, Kono couldn't even look up at Reid as he backed away towards the door. _Danny was dead and then he planned to go after Chin._

"Please. Don't," Kono tried to fight, but she was sinking bonelessly into the headboard. She was steadily losing her balance as the room began to sickly swim into a hazy merging of color.

Topher paused to revel in his damages, smiling with glee as tears streaked down her face to dampen even her neck. "I'll see you later, _ku`uipo,_ when my mood improves," he whispered in promise.

A sob broke through and then another as her head sagged forward, long hair stringy now and clinging damply to her forehead despite his once gentle care. Only then did he leave her, turning off the room's overhead light to leave her in utter darkness. He left her where she was. Trembling from the shock of his singular message, he slammed the bedroom's dungeon like door to her grief and rising terror.

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	10. Chapter 10

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

_**Notes**_: a bit of a necessary fact-finding lull. Not much resolved per se ... but some good news along the way.

**Chapter Ten: ****_No Kau a Kau ~ For Eternity_**

"It's a match?" Chin was breathing quite literally over the neck of Katie Turner, a CSU forensic scientist, who was comparing a partial strand of human hair with what he'd just brought in from Topher Reid's home. The single strand was not of the best quality but it had been plucked out from inside the toy bear's zippered heart and Chin was sweating profusely as he stumbled unwittingly into the lab's initial findings.

"Well, sort of." Katie was intent on her work and muttering into her equipment. Her tone indicated some promise, though she was much too distracted to elaborate further. "Not exactly."

The man behind her shoulder craved something she couldn't provide with certainty and his anxiety was preying on her mind. The tiny fragment in the stuffed toy was of poor quality, small and certainly not enough to necessarily compare to the ample amount he'd just bagged in their suspect's bathroom. Katie wrinkled her nose thoughtfully as she peered into her optical bridge.

"Sort of?" Chin groaned quietly and took a diligent step back when the scientist stopped talking altogether. They had more now and it could be enough; certainly whatever she was seeing would be more than a few broken pieces of expensive camera equipment found under a dumpster. Chin just wasn't sure he could wait long enough for the woman to properly gather her thoughts in order to voice her findings.

"But put it all together," Chin whispered under his breath. "It all points to one place and one person." He wiped his sweaty palms across his jeans because he'd received two surprise gifts upon walking into the crime scene unit's offices that evening. Now, he wanted a third as he pinned all his hopes on the canny eyes of Katie Turner. His first happy surprise was the fiber in the stuffed toy and the second was a final identification of the damaged fragments of photography-related equipment discovered under the beach's dumpster. The broken portions of lens cap and lens had been narrowed down to an exclusive Leica brand manufactured by a German optical optics company.

Exclusive, expensive and preferred by professional photographers. A fine piece of classic equipment which was _entirely up Topher Reid's fanatical alley._

Behind Katie's back, Chin silently pleaded with the expensive comparison microscope to give him more. This larger microscope actually consisted of two compound light microscopes connected by an optical bridge. The expensive equipment allowed her the simultaneous viewing of questioned hairs and known hairs. She had patiently explained how her evaluation process worked. Typically, a glass microscope slide was carefully prepared with known or _referenced_ hairs on the stage of one microscope. She could literally compare the microscopic characteristics of the known and questioned hairs in one optical viewing field.

She had her work cut out for her as she first compared the small fiber discovered in the toy bear to each of the new samples Chin had submitted. Then she compared the hair samples between comb and brush to each other which had been bagged and tagged separately.

He understood that the tiny strand in the bear would be problematic to compare; but he couldn't put a stop to his frenetic movements. His uncontrollable sighs were overly loud and he fought to control himself as Katie frowned while peering into the optical bridge. Chin's brow furrowed questioningly since she was now switching out glass slides again. His mouth opened and closed with a snap before he could inquire as to why. His impatience grew as thirty minutes elapsed much too quickly for his worried sensitivities. He inwardly winced when the young woman fidgeted on her feet, sighed to herself, and paused only to input a series of private notes into her computer.

"I can't be absolutely certain because there isn't enough hair from the stuffed animal," Katie finally turned to face him. She frowned sympathetically when she saw the grave look in his eyes. However, she wasn't done yet and couldn't help herself from providing the rest of her repertoire with a bit of lightness. "But my assumption without a full DNA analysis is that it does have definite similarities to what you brought us in evidence bag number two. The bag from the comb which holds male Asian hair. It's not conclusive, but it's similar in those few characteristics which I'm able to compare."

_Topher Reid. _Chin sighed in frustration about the samples he'd brought in until Katie held up her hand to forestall his entire loss of hope.

"However, Lieutenant, there's no match at all to evidence bag number one which was from the brush. And those strands of hair are not male; they are without a doubt from an Asian female." Katie paused, a devious twinkle in her eye as the Five-0 officer leaned slightly towards her in askance. The officer had been sure both bagged samples would be the same. But his intuition to take separate fibers from brush versus comb had served him well.

"What? No match?" Chin's heart nearly stopped in his throat, high enough to gag him completely. No match was good in this case. _Not finding a match_ was causing his brain to stutter at the true implications. He saw the gleam in her eye and dared to smile as her excitement flowed over to him. "Asian _female_?"

"Yes," she grinned now. "Female. You've brought me two entirely different samples of human hair." He was going to ask how she could possibly know that difference when she voluntarily began to describe her methods and reasoning.

"How do I know, right? Well, I can tell you from my evaluation the racial differences with certainty; and I can do that because Asian characteristics are different from Caucasian and so on. I know the hair from the brush is subsequently female because the length is significantly longer and its been chemically treated," Katie explained succinctly, her pleased smile at being able to help brightened her expression. "Most typically we find that its female hair which is treated due to hair colorings or having it straightened."

"Kono lightens her hair," Chin made the connection with lightning speed, the smile now firmly in place. As far as he was concerned, he had enough to act upon and knew that Steve would agree. The smile fell from his eyes though as Steve came to mind and he realized that he hadn't heard from the hospital. While it had taken Katie over thirty minutes to run her evaluations, a much longer amount of time had passed in reality when considering travel time, preparation, and other minor delays.

"I need to go," Chin sobered immediately as he pulled his cell phone free from his shirt pocket. Pausing long enough to shake her hand and acting as if he wanted to throw his arms around her instead, his next rushed comment was completely genuine. "I can't thank you enough."

"I'll write up my results to formalize them for your team. We'll also submit these samples for a full DNA analysis now. But it's going to take a few days to get that part back," Katie warned him. However, she was talking to his back as he jogged from the lab with his cell phone clutched in his hand.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Steve hadn't moved from where he stood rooted in what had been Danny's examination room. He was stunned beyond words and still arguing with himself about being so indecisive but Doctor Fratelli had just advised him that Danny was strongly suspected of having a brain bleed. The explanation was nothing short of incomprehensible and his unconscious partner had been swept away into the bowels of the hospital for a CT scan which would provide that conclusive proof. Once confirmed and reconfirmed again, he'd be rushed immediately into surgery to repair the life-threatening damage.

"Damn it, Daniel," Steve muttered to himself as he rocked in place, loathe to move. Hating to leave, yet knowing he had to ... and soon. "I don't believe this," he said softly, shaking his head disbelievingly as he gazed at the door hoping it had all been a big mistake. Everything he'd described to Fratelli had only escalated the small Italian's worrisome mood. The headaches, use of common analgesics to combat the pain of those, plus form his various scrapes and bruises had acted as blood thinners to exacerbate the internal bleeding.

_"Commander, his headaches have not been post concussive as you all assumed,"_ Fratelli had been visibly upset the more Steve had reported. The beginnings of slurred speech, loss of balance and the severity of his nausea were all terrible indicators. He'd argued Steve's pointed defiant reasons with a startling precision; in fact, he'd negated each one as related to the aftermath of a concussion. _"They're indicative of a much larger problem."_

In the end, the CT scan would be conclusive, but where Steve had not, Fratelli had already accepted his own new diagnosis based on those descriptions of symptoms and Danny's much too low blood pressure readings. Danny's recent physical exertion, refusal of rest and the stress endured at Reid's house had only upped the dangerous outcome. It made no matter to Steve that Fratelli admitted the initial error in judgement related to the agreement amongst himself, Lennon and Ramirez to forego a CT scan upon Danny's first visit to the hospital. Such a preliminary scan could have provided the first stop-gap; yet their decision had been to omit the test. At the time, that choice had been sound based upon Danny's lack of symptoms and their patient's own argument, but now Fratelli was in a snit and regretting what proved to be a very poor move.

_"Brain surgery?"_ Steve couldn't wrap his head around what was coming next. Fratelli had made a disagreeable face at Steve's choice of words, amending them more than slightly in his physicians' mind. Still, Steve wasn't precisely consoled at being corrected.

_"Not exactly. We're going to remove a flap of cranial bone and evacuate the bleed,"_ Fratelli tried to explain. He tried to make it sound better, but failed as the Commander's face bleached to an indescribable shade of white._ "We'll screw that bone back into place ... Commander?"_

_"Screws?"_ Steve had just about lost it at that point. He'd forgotten to breathe and then had swallowed as hard as Danny had in his truck to combat his own surge of nausea at the sheer thought of what Fratelli described. Now, he was standing alone in an empty exam room.

"Shit!" He gasped out loud, jolting in reaction at the surprising shock which trilled almost painfully down to his fingertips when his cell phone vibrated in his pocket. That at least got him moving enough to yank it out of his pocket, see that it was Chin, and answer on the third set of pre-set vibrations.

"Hey," Steve was still dumbstruck and in that one roughly voiced utterance of sound communicated enough for Chin to know something was incredibly wrong.

_"How bad?"_ The blunt question didn't help Steve regain his tongue as fast as he would have preferred, but he eventually got himself more under control.

"Bad enough," Steve replied with a frank honesty. He was staring blindly at the exam room door wondering where Danny was in the large hospital. Fratelli owned anything that happened next, but Steve suddenly wanted to contact Doctor Ramirez. He though the older man would want to know, yet selfishly, Steve wanted him to be there, too. He needed another friendly set of hands on the ground in the medical facility; someone on their side who could gain access - and information - more than he could.

_"Steve?" _Chin's voice brought him back to center. Steve's thoughts had wandered in that instant and he mentally berated himself for the lapse. _"What's going on with Danny? What happened?"_

"They're running him though a CT scan, but it looks like he needs surgery to control a slow bleed from the head injury," Steve finally supplied more details. Vacillating wildly, he almost laughed in disbelief at what he was forced to say. "Danny needs brain surgery, Chin. Though Fratelli says I'm exaggerating a bit and removing a bone flap isn't all that bad. Unless you consider the screws he'll use to put Danny's skull back together after he's done."

He was babbling and the only thing that made him start was a sheer lack of air in his lungs. Steve's voice ended on an odd explosive cough where he gathered himself together one final time. "I'm ... uh ... I'm calling Ramirez to let him know. Then ... Danny's ex once we know more I guess."

_"What!?"_ The burst of stunned air echoed harshly through the connection and Steve could just imagine the look on Chin's face. He had nothing else he could say as his thoughts fell to Danny's ex-wife and then on to his daughter, Grace. He didn't know what he was going to do if Fratelli was wrong and his friend didn't recover as the doctor had tried to assure him.

"Danny's going to want us to keep moving, Chin," Steve wearily commented. Once more torn, his own statement at least got him prompted him to act because Danny most certainly would be chastising him for lingering in an empty room. "What does the lab have? Anything we can act on with certainty? I need some good news." The resulting pause was long and Steve waited just as Chin had waited for him. Wheels were turning and information was being unhappily digested. There was a pained inhale followed by a disbelieving rush of air through the line before Chin was finally able to reply.

_"The lab came through, Steve. Meet me at the office?"_ Chin's voice was calmer than he must have felt. Again, something which Steve could appreciate first-hand. _"They've confirmed female hair on the evidence I bagged from the brush in Reid's bathroom. It's Kono's hair ... I know it is. We have intent, proof she was there - that she is there - and we need to get back there tonight. Let's do this ... I want Kono home and I want that bastard brought in."_

"Done. I'll call Ramirez on the way," Steve replied firmly as Chin's startling revelations got his feet to move even faster through the hospital's long hallway towards the exit. He aimed his emotional thoughts once more in the direction of his ailing partner just before he broke into a run across the parking lot. He had compartmentalized his worries about Danny and was focused solely on getting Reid and retrieving Kono by the time he placed his hand on the door to his truck. By then his call with Chin was ending with a singular sense of mission. "I'll be there and geared up in ten."

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	11. Chapter 11

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

_**Notes**_: Time for some rescuing! A special thanks to all of my wonderful helpful beta's (there are a few with this 'mammoth') who always find the time to help me!

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

**Chapter Eleven: ****_No Kau a Kau ~ For Eternity_**

Night had fallen hours earlier and yet the lights burned brightly in the Five-0 offices. The key HPD back-up teams had received their instructions and had left to assemble at their designated positions. Steve and Chin were moments from also leaving, but they were spending a few more minutes reviewing the blueprints to Topher Reid's large house and ample grounds.

"I missed an entire room," Chin was putting the blueprints for Topher Reid's new home back up on the main screen after having just pulled them down. As part of any protocol, they would always obtain and review the architectural plans to define their tactical approach. However, Chin had been immediately perplexed by what he had identified on the plans but not seen in person. Now, he was rehashing that point over and over because Kono had been so very close. He shifted on his feet, his own gear cumbersome as he leaned angrily over the Smart table. He shouldn't be looking again but couldn't help himself. He shouldn't be dwelling on the obvious because he and Steve were completely geared up and had already finalized their plan of attack.

And an attack was precisely what they intended to conduct; yet, Chin remained hung up on one key point. He had missed an entire room in Reid's grand house. Chin scowled unhappily, tapping rapidly to zoom in on the far right side of the rambling house to better view the section in question.

"Here, right next to the great room," Chin circled the area in dark red using the Smart table's drawing tools. "How did I not see this before?" He knew what he was seeing and why, yet he was having significant trouble absorbing how close they had all been to his cousin. He glanced towards Steve, upset and ready to berate himself but what he recognized in Steve's eyes put a halt to the emotional distraction. Bringing himself back to center, Chin channeled his feelings firmly to their purpose to get back on track. "He sealed that space off purposefully. And on these plans, it has to still be behind that entertainment center."

"Agreed. That's our mark," Steve noted with a cool methodical detachment. He checked his watch, allowing his friend a few more minutes to regain control of his emotions. "The home lists a wine cellar as one of its original selling points; odd for any home here. But the house abuts volcanic rock and so, that is what the original door leads to; a recessed and sunken wine cellar. One way in and one way out; no windows and extremely private. It's a perfect prison and exactly where Kono currently is being kept."

His arms were neatly folded over the layers of gear he was wearing. He looked calm but was full of a purposeful tension. At his feet was a fully packed dark green duffle bag with additional and more sea-worthy equipment. Reid's home had an impressive security system but they intended to bypass the front door entirely by approaching via its private beach. As Chin aimed another studied look at Steve, he could almost swear that the ex-SEAL was partially looking forward to this particular mission for the thrill of the approach alone.

"Steve," Chin momentarily faltered, his emotions were much too close to the surface and he also couldn't as easily button up his concern for Danny. Then again, that wasn't fair because he'd caught Steve looking multiple times towards Danny's darkened office.

"We got this, Chin," Steve affirmed, his lip quirking in a sardonic sense of amusement at his own final words. "We have our target and we agree to how we're going to manage multiple scenarios. Regardless of which plays out, Kono will be home tonight. Whoever sees her first, removes her from the equation and the rest with Reid will ... _well_ ... come naturally."

There was no doubt, only a factual statement of success. Along with one ambulance, a battalion of HPD cruisers would be two blocks away awaiting instruction, but two unmarked units would be idling where the large gates could be monitored for activity. Believing that less was more when it came to the element of surprise, except for an extra pair of hands piloting the small Zodiac boat, he and Chin would be managing the primary rescue mission from the water.

The scenarios which they considered had included simply knocking on their suspect's front door with search warrant in hand. But with their hand plainly showing, no one wanted to take the chance of creating a worse hostage situation. Their understanding of Topher Reid, the psychopath, deemed that method completely fraught with too much risk. It was considered, briefly discussed and then abandoned in lieu of any other which would maintain their control of the operation.

"Let's go," Steve said, his look softening ever so slightly. His duffle was now slung over his shoulder and their instructions to HPD wouldn't be changing unless a portion of their mission went south; something again which Steve had dutifully planned for, yet had no intention of allowing to happen. They'd drop in the water from a public access road with a competent boat pilot and the highly maneuverable military inflatable Zodiac equipped with a powerful outboard engine. Their pilot would cut the Zodiac's engines just beyond the gentle breakers where Steve and Chin would slip into the water and literally swim to shore to carry out their mission.

From the moment they departed the office, there was no further discussion. Not even up until the time each man slipped silently over opposites sides of the Zodiac as it gently bobbed offshore. Their HPD pilot would stay exactly where he was, taking advantage of the pitch darkness and waiting patiently for any pending orders.

Without a word, the pilot handed each man their gear in waterproof bags. Then he watched them for as long as he could and even lost them once in the oily darkness of the water itself. Yards away, he finally spied each again as they gained the sand only feet from the romantically lit lanai.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Kono was reclined in the lounge chair with a blanket draped over her legs. The night was pitch black with only a small sliver of moonlight gleaning off the ocean. Torches were lit around the perimeter of the lanai, yet they barely seemed to pierce the gloom. Waking outside was both disconcerting and a relief. Reveling in the freshness of the breeze coming off the water, she lay as quietly as possible, feigning a continued sleep while listening intently and testing her level of entrapment.

Topher was puttering around the lanai, humming happily to the soft music which was now piped outside through the expensive system. A loud series of clicks startled her until she realized he was igniting the gourmet grill to cook. Her stomach rumbled at the thought of eating real food, yet she felt like crying at the same time. Still, she faked sleep as he lingered near ... too close in fact, and she wondered if he might be watching her as the activity waned. She wondered and thought that he might be watching her to judge her level of awareness; a satisfaction he would need to work hard for.

She fought the itch to move when she sensed his presence, relieved when a phone rang from behind her and he cursed the untimely disruption. She assumed that it had to be his cell phone and she felt him leave because he had left the device inside the house. To her relief, his footsteps disappeared, yet she heard him answer the phone. Too far away to hear the words, she listened to his deep murmur and only then, did she dare to really open her eyes.

He had selected a plain red dress for the evening and Kono frowned at a glimmer of memory where she might have resentfully shrugged herself into it. But the memory was dim and musty. Almost shakily she lifted her left hand to her hair. Her fingers connected with a flower interwoven into a plaited braid and she clenched her fingers before she could tear it all out. He had brushed her hair again. This time even boldly taking the time to braid and add a flower which apparently he felt added a special touch.

Kono angrily bit her lip, wincing when she came in contact with the newest bruise added by his rough kiss. She wanted to yank the flower from her hair and argued with herself to be more reasonable. The ramifications would be enormous and she couldn't afford angering him; especially now. His attack on her mouth had been a clear threat of his coming intentions. His mood seemed more volatile and with that one nasty act, she no longer could accurately judge his frame of mind.

She heaved in a lungful of air in an attempt to purge more of the drugs from her mind. Instead, she felt a rush of vertigo and became disoriented so much so, that the water blurred to a dull blackish shimmer. In his earlier rage, Reid had injected her with a significant dose of whatever his preferred sedative was; her arm ached from not only the injection site, but also from the bruises his fingers had drilled into her skin. Things were escalating and she was in over her head. As her feelings of desperation also increased, Kono stared at the black depths of the ocean, barely able to see the ripples near the shoreline and wondering if she'd the energy to run. Or, even swim.

Cursing her muddy train of thought, Kono lifted her left hand again, realizing then that only her right wrist was chained to the heavy wooden lounger. Her eyes burned from a drug-induced fatigue causing the leather cuff and its glimmering gold chain to shimmer alarmingly.

"Focus, damn it," she whispered, fumbling now with clumsy fingers to tear at the one cuff. But the leather was thick and wide while her fingers refused to wholly cooperate. Topher had sealed the cuff shut with a tiny gold lock and no matter how she tried, she was stuck in place. She heard his voice from the house as he talked on the phone, laughing arrogantly to some unknown person. Spurned on, she tore at the one restraint anyway, scratching her own arm in the process and almost hyper extending her trapped wrist joint. Engrossed in getting free as her desperation grew, she forgot to listen and her vision tunneled. There was a sudden noise though which tore her attention back to the lanai. A sudden scraping noise to her right which made her freeze and her next breath strangled deeply in her throat.

He was back while she'd had a terrible lapse in her ability to listen.

Kono wasn't left handed, but she ceased all other thoughts to bunch fatigued and uselessly rubber-like muscles. Her body was undeniably weak and she had trouble seeing much beyond her own nose, but she'd send her own message. Her thoughts of Danny, her prison and endless doses of forced sedation charged her anger enough for her to willingly decide she'd endure his wrath regardless of the outcome. Trembling in place as her muscles argued her commands, a petal fell from her hair into her lap to spur her resolve. His shadow fell over her reclined body to smother the white petal from view and she looked up through her lashes noting his profile while doing her very best to judge distance with a limited reach.

He bent down then, a hand on her trapped right arm, gentle and yet annoyingly firm. Something cold and pointed touched her skin near the leather cuff and Kono shifted her hidden gaze. She couldn't help becoming entranced when she blearily recognized the blade of a knife. The tip wriggled under the edge of the leather nearest her thumb and she felt the leather begin to tear as if it were butter.

That feeling was all she needed to ball her left fist and lash out with as much fury as she could muster. She connected with bone and skin, too pleased and yet too afraid to celebrate when she registered the shocked grunt of pain. His shadow staggered overhead before he dropped to one knee, the knife glinting in one hand while his other went to his face.

But her eyes were trained solely on the knife ... she needed the knife in her desperate race to gain freedom and the upper hand. Its blade gleamed low and bright near the lanai's expensive inlaid tiles. She'd been lucky and her blow had indeed brought him to his knees. Her next movements were weak, sloppy and her legs were tangled in the blanket yet she managed to lurch off the chair to fall to the ground, scrabbling for her one and only chance.

_"Kono!"_ He hissed at her breathlessly, but she didn't pay him any attention. _"Keep it down!"_ She missed the meaning behind the command, including what should have been a clearly recognizable voice, knowing she needed to just break free. The only sounds she could really hear were her own frenetic pants for air and the scuffle of boots as he regained his balance.

"No!" Kono almost cried in frustration as a black gloved hand enveloped her left wrist and a sturdy arm went around her waist to pull her back into his chest. Her right arm was still partially attached to the chair and she was sickly off balance. Still she fought, stretching her body to its maximum limits. Her fingers connected with the hilt of the blade, slipped off and she gasped at its loss. Fright channeled into a will to fight harder and she reared her head backwards when his hand covered her mouth to keep her quiet, connecting once more with his face. Her skull ricocheted off bone and her vision exploded into a million sparkling lights. There was another pained sound and a muffled curse, but he only tightened his grip to pluck her back.

"Let ... me go!" Kono ground out, her voice muffled behind his fingers, using her nails now to dig into his gloved hands without realizing that was going to be of no avail. She was already weakening, but the knife had been so close ..._ it was so very close_ and she couldn't bear losing what she'd almost won.

"You sure as hell aren't acting like you want to be rescued," he muttered softly in her ear. Breathless from both a need to be urgent and their unexpected struggle, he used his body to completely protect her smaller frame. A brief spat of whispered chatter from Chin went ignored; it needed to be until Steve knew that Kono understood. Under his arm, her heart was beating wildly and he was sure that she still wasn't quite able to actually hear him, let alone know that help at arrived. "Kono, calm down and be quiet. It's me; it's only me ... It's Steve."

His youngest teammate had been playing a rather convincing game of possum and he'd fallen for the act himself. His split lip was bleeding freely down his chin and he turned his head to spit a bloody wad of moisture towards the pretty landscaping. There was also a new bruise beginning to swell along his cheekbone from her wily backwards head butt and, if he hadn't been so busy corralling her, Steve knew he'd be proud of her fight.

"Kono, hey. Ease up," the soft whispers intoned. Steve felt the change the instant she finally understood and he managed a brief grin.

Finally, she gasped in shock at the sound of a familiar voice, unable to turn around to be sure or even talk with a hand firmly but gently covering her mouth. Eyes wide, she struggled to listen and understand the deep voice resonating in her ear.

"The plan was," Steve whispered, pausing a moment to wipe his bloody lip on the sleeve of his wetsuit. "That Chin would get _him_ ... while I got you. We came in from the beach to avoid the security system. But if you're happy here ..." He sniffed in amusement as her struggle fled and she wilted trustingly into his chest.

From the water, Steve had reached the private beach first. He had been stunned to eventually see Kono positioned to his left and in his direct path. Luck was on their side and he had signaled frantically to Chin who came out of the water further down the beach to position his earbud quickly. There was a moment when Steve saw Chin's silhouette backlit by a flicker of dull moonlit water when he spied Kono. Unmoving and potentially wanting to be two places at once before committing to their original plan of action since the first important task was to remove Kono safely from the equation.

"Better now?" Steve was nearly mouthing the words, with an eye towards not only Kono, but also to the house where he could see Reid still talking on the phone. "Keep it down, Kono. It's over." He slowly removed his hand from her lips, reaching over to regain a good hold on his knife to finish the job he'd started on the leather cuff. Seconds later, he had her neatly swept into his arms and hidden in a much more secluded part of the private beach, well away from the lanai and Topher Reid.

"Steve?" Kono was looking up at his face with a bewildered expression, trembling uncontrollably but finally realizing that she was safe. "You're ... here?" She watched him nod, his face stony as he studied the bruises on her face and lip. Nonetheless, his eyes were kind and gentle. He also still had her completely folded in his arms as if a child. She should have been embarrassed cocooned as she was, yet she couldn't find a valid reason to object.

"Chin. Package secure," Steve whispered into his comm link. He peered up again, eyeing their final target who was inside the house. "We're good here and Reid's still in the kitchen." His dark smile turned murderous when an overly pleased reply, one that also oozed relief, was instantly returned. In the shadows nearest the entrance to the lanai from the master bedroom, he pegged Chin's location. He hit his radio again to advise their HPD cohorts of their status and to move in closer for the pending cleanup, Kono still firmly grasped across his lap as he hunkered back down low in the sand.

_"Almost done here," C_hin's whisper was equally sinister after a short pause, something which Steve wholeheartedly understood and even approved. His friend was deep inside the house now and tracking Reid's movements from bedroom to kitchen. The final steps to their plan were soon to reach fruition. He smiled reassuringly at Kono before easing her off his lap to lean against a small rocky outcropping.

"You good?" He whispered, asking permission to gain some ground back to the lanai in case Chin needed support. Steve's finger came up despite her poor condition and he aimed a final command in her direction. He intended to stay firmly between her and the house, but required a better vantage point. "Do. Not. Move."

Kono shivered from a deepening chill, only able to feebly nod as her voice got stuck in her throat as her emotions took over. She stared in awe at the imposing shape of her boss and friend. Chin was there too and a tear broke free to roll down her cheek.

"Danny?" Her whispered question came out on a raspy exhale and Steve glanced back at her just once. Her expression was indescribable and completely unexpected causing Steve his one and only mental falter. His mouth opened and then closed silently, not understanding her fear in its entirety. But for his part, he just didn't know yet and so, didn't know what to say. He watched as another tear fell from her lashes and he returned to her side, his hand cupping the side of her face as way of comfort.

"It'll be okay," Steve whispered quickly. Misunderstanding again when her lip trembled in response, he tried to calm her more, but seemed to fail as more tears tracked down her cheeks. "I promise it will be okay, Kono; I'll be right back. I'm not going far."

Gun at the ready, he had to turn away at Chin's next whispered warning when the entire interior of the house was plunged into darkness - Reid had noticed that Kono was no longer on the lanai.

_"He's smart,"_ Chin's whisper softly emanated through to Steve about the man's overtly cautious nature. He was close on Reid's tail and near to ending the raid.

"Careful," Steve murmured, his eyes narrowed in concentration and upper body canted just enough to look across the expanse of the lanai. He crept forward a few feet watching a shadow lurking just inside the doorway. Seconds later, he spied the glint of a weapon; and still he waited with baited breath. "Gun," Steve added on a soft exhale to advise his friend.

A long moment passed and then he heard the verbal warnings as if in stereo. Chin's bellow of identification and demand to surrender were both in his earbud and then brought to him from the depths of the house. There was the sound of a small firearm which ruptured the silence. But on its heels, the report of a single shotgun echoed, too.

_"It's over. The suspect is in custody." _Steve chuffed a weird sound under his breath as Chin radioed his status and demanded HPD's support. Lights came back on an instant later and he could hear sirens from the street. With a bland thought, Steve vaguely wondered how _over_ 'over' might be for Topher Reid. However, he had more important things to take care of.

With that final report and chatter increasing in volume as their backup arrived enforce, Steve turned back to Kono dropping to an easy crouch to once more lift her into his arms. She was openly crying now, her knees drawn up to her chest and her face hidden in her hands.

"Time to go," he whispered as her arms wove tightly around his neck and she burrowed into him, quiet sobs tearing at her tired frame. "You're okay; it's alright, Kono." Steve stood easily, worried about his glimpse of unfocused eyes which were uncommonly wide in a face that was bruised and much too pale.

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	12. Chapter 12

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

_**Notes**_: thank you to everyone who is reading or has left a comment - including, my thanks to the wonderful Guest reviewers whom I can't personally reply to - for such encouragement and kind reviews.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

**Chapter Twelve: ****_No Kau a Kau ~ For Eternity_**

Chin strode almost angrily into the hospital, in the lead of Kono's gurney. By appearance alone, he looked as if he might tear the place from top to bottom for no apparent reason when in fact he was truly distraught. He'd of course taken his cousin from Steve's arms and carried her the rest of the way through the large house and on to the waiting ambulance. The riot of lights, noise and activity had only served to heighten her emotional stress instead of find its peacefulness. His own presence seemed to do the same and he didn't understand until he'd seated her on the gurney and the emergency medical technicians got to work.

_"He's dead ... it's my fault that he killed Danny,"_ her eyes were saucer-shaped and her tears wouldn't stop. Her sobs had only worsened when she'd managed to choke out that she was sorry that Danny had been killed ... entirely because of her. Because she hadn't listened to him in the first place.

_"No, no. He's not dead, Kono,"_ Chin had pulled her hands down from her face insisting and the pleaded with her to listen. He had continued to hold her hands as the EMT's worked around him to take her vitals and run fluids into her arm. _"Danny is not dead; Reid lied to you. He lied."_ She'd been nearly inconsolable though, exhausted from her ordeal and stubbornly stuck in her own mind while she trembled badly from drugs and stress, her teeth had literally clacked inside her head. The EMT's had also gently cajoled and attempted to coach her to a more placid plane, but she'd tuned them out entirely.

_"It's the drugs,"_ each technician had explained to Chin. Their combined looks of concern had questioned other things - other injuries or issues that might be hidden from them all, and at the time, Chin could only stiffen in a sudden sense of agitation. Of course, he'd worried that Reid had touched Kono but no one had dared to even look in a questioning way about that frightening concern. Voicing it - even as gently as it had been done - had nearly beyond his ability to cope.

_"Shit,"_ he'd murmured softly. _"I don't know."_ Steve had been behind him and Chin had glanced over this shoulder, their expressions blatantly mirroring that potentially tragic question more openly. There had been a moment of distraction though when Chin had watched Steve use the back of his hand to wipe a smear of blood from his lip. With the black gloves stowed away and the remaining dampness from their joint dive into the ocean, the smear had been mottled against white skin. He had frowned at the swelling along Steve's cheekbone, too. The question had altered slightly and Steve had shrugged helplessly, a lame gesture aimed directly at his cousin and Chin had actually almost laughed. Almost, but not quite.

_"Sir?" _The EMT had cocked his head and questioned again, but Chin could only wince as his mouth opened then soundlessly closed. _"We'll need to know and you know that the ER docs will need to know, too. But for now, I'd guess that our major concerns are the drugs that she's been exposed to. That, plus the mental fatigue and dehydration."_

_"Yeah,"_ Chin had muttered. The EMT's had briefly paused and Steve had joined him. Just the three gathered in a circle of sorts. Steve's hand had fallen in encouragement to his shoulder. And for that, Chin had been beyond grateful as he found the courage to ask as gently as possible.

_"Kono? Did he touch you?"_ She had blinked wildly at first. Confused by the question and the change of course from her focus on grasping that Danny hadn't been killed._ "Did Reid do anything to you?"_

_"What? What ... what do you mean?"_ Kono had looked innocently at her hands now tightly held inside her cousin's before looking directly into Steve's face. She'd frowned at their dark expressions, thought hard on what was being asked, and then had shaken her head to the negative as something finally made sense. _"No, no ... he didn't ... he ... was ... might have ... tonight. But, no." _

Chin had been so sick with relief, he'd felt like sitting right on the pavement of the driveway. He'd barely felt Steve's hand now drilling reassuringly into his neck again or heard the loud exhale which compounded their mutual release. However, that important question and her short answer had been entirely irrelevant to _her. _ She'd frowned again, switching her fingers from inside Chin's to grapple for his. Her eyes had anxiously searched his face in askance, flying then to Steve's to make sure she had heard correctly the first time. _"But Danny? He's okay? Really? Where is he then? Where's Danny?"_

It was Steve who had cautiously replied in such a way as to minimize her fears and he'd done a good job. At least in the short term. _"He's resting in the hospital, Kono. Let's get you over there and find out how he is. Alright?"_

However, neither he nor Steve had truly been in contact with the hospital, Doctor Fratelli or even with Doctor Ramirez. So, on the ride over in the ambulance, Chin couldn't answer any more of Kono's continued ramblings. On edge and refusing to relax, she had caught his quiet evasive responses and slightly devolved again with her emotions much too close to the surface.

_"I want to see him,"_ she asked and then demanded it, tears coursing down her cheeks and her voice rising despite a raspy dryness. _"Chin! I want to see him! What aren't you telling me?"_

With that, he'd been forced to find something else to say. Something that still wasn't enough and resulted in him admitting that neither he nor Steve knew much about Danny's current status after have had surgery._ "Ponch is with him, Kono. He's been such a help in filling in gaps about what happened early on; and now, he's at the hospital and acting as one of Danny's primaries." _ Chin had patiently explained with as much care as humanly possible. But only the fact that Doctor Ramirez was there seemed to offer some consolation, because she never once agreed to relax from that moment on.

Tight-lipped and feeling his levels of stress escalating again as they arrived at the hospital and he now bolted through the doors, Chin knew that only one more remedy existed - allowing Kono to see Danny with her own two eyes. However, Topher Reid's ambulance had arrived first and a number of HPD officers ranged the emergency room in an organized fashion to provide the proper level of security and visibility. Chin wended his way through the throng, aware that Kono's gurney was being wheeled rapidly behind. Without a doubt, Steve was there, too, but likely closely hovering over the seriously injured criminal as medical staff attempted his care.

"Doctor Lennon!" Chin honed in on the emergency room physician, relieved to see someone familiar but unconsciously making a face when he spied the blood-stained attire. Before he could coordinate any kind of reunion, he not only needed for Kono to be seen herself first, he needed to know about Danny. Another argument would soon be sparked with Kono about the order of affairs, yet it was apparent that Lennon was dealing with Reid as he conferred with another doctor.

At the sound of his name, the younger man whirled around. "Lieutenant Kelly, we've been waiting for you. Your suspect is on his way to emergency surgery."

"Okay," Chin replied quickly as sweat literally dripped down his cheeks. His clothing was sticking to his body uncomfortably from salt water and he fidgeted, pulling on his damp t-shirt for his hasty change seconds before diving into Kono's ambulance. Upon the discharge of his weapon, Topher Reid had instantly become the very last person on his mind. "Listen, do you know anything at all about Danny? Kono's right behind me and she's having a rough time ... any word?"

Lennon's face morphed into an interesting field of expressions as he concluded what Chin was actually saying. He'd been asked the very same thing by the Five-0 Commander and could only share an identical but much too brief update for the second time. "I can only tell you that he's in recovery or he could be in a room by now. That's all ... I don't know anything else. Commander McGarrett is looking for either Fratelli or Doctor Ramirez."

"It's not going to be enough," Chin whispered worriedly. The doctor didn't know what else to say though as his latest patient came his way. He measured her quickly, noting the pale expression and yet the splotchy redness of her cheeks. He _harrumphed_ under his breath as he replayed his initial altercation with the injured detective so many days earlier, brought in when Officer Kalakaua was first abducted. Now it was her eyes which sought him out seeking answers, pupils dilated and her body physically thrumming from drugs and stress.

"Detective Williams is upstairs," Lennon offered as honestly as possible. It was a fact that he wasn't known for his bedside manner. Something which his father's friend and his self-appointed mentor, Doctor Ramirez, had seen fit to bluntly inform him of that same week. That part of his introverted personality caused words to fail and he sought refuge in clinical language. He was smart - almost too smart - and for that, his social skills had always suffered. But this time, he tried harder and struggled with his tongue as the gurney poised under his very nose.

"I know you're upset about Detective Williams," Lennon went there first even though his medical tendencies to treat the patient screamed in his head. He wanted to act and do his job, but therein lay his issue related to an inability to be outwardly empathetic. The officer before him was clearly distressed and her hands were balled into wadded fists. If her cousin and two EMT's hadn't ranged around the gurney, he was positive that she would have tried to launch herself from its center. She would have tried and undoubtedly, failed.

"I know that he's upstairs resting in recovery and that Doctor Ramirez is with him. Commander McGarrett is there now. I'm sure we'll all know more soon," Lennon added, perturbed when he witnessed what her cousin had already warned him about. His answer was certainly not good enough based on the level of stress she was exhibiting. He glanced at the Lieutenant before taking in another breath and trying to smile reassuringly.

"I need to see him," Kono resorted to whispering her demand as her upper body swayed where she sat. The remnants of adrenalin were barely keeping her eyes open and she probably couldn't walk if her life depended upon it. She knew that and she knew that she was being terribly unreasonable. But she did know one additional thing: she needed to see Danny with her own two eyes.

"I'd ... ah ... like to make sure you're okay?" He asked, rather than demanded it as he skirted around her declaration. His automatic retort to deny her request was swallowed down hard as he focused on finding a method to begin evaluating her condition. "I'd like to check you out," he repeated and then waited as the female officer stared blankly at him and said nothing. Her muscles were bunched and her skin seemed eerily translucent in the bright overhead lights of the emergency room corridor. By sight alone, she was dehydrated and fighting the effects of whatever drug had been forced into her system. Even if he'd known more about her friend, he felt very strongly that she wouldn't be able to remain upright long enough to see the man.

"Not yet. I need to see him," Kono dug in harder. Doctor Lennon saw the quick shake to her head, too. It was nearly imperceptible and he wasn't even sure if it was for him or the beginnings of a stellar argument against proper treatment. Another quick glance towards her cousin yielded the same concern which was compounded when the Lieutenant's hand fell sturdily to her shoulder as if she might indeed lurch wildly off the gurney.

Lennon didn't know where he found the words. If he'd put more thought into what he was going to say, it probably wouldn't have had the desired effect. "If I may speak plainly, I think Detective Williams might want us to help you, first."

With that unexpected observation, Kono paused to consider Lennon's compromise. She looked down at her fisted hands and forced each to unfurl, however her fingers refused to stop their frenetic shaking. Her vision wavered and she realized what she must look like, or even sound like. She was upset, being completely unreasonable and knew that a great of her reaction was due to being drugged. She simply couldn't seem to help herself. She also knew that Lennon was perfectly correct about Danny's wishes, but more so, she realized that she didn't want Danny to see her this way.

"I'd like to check you out and then the nurses can help you clean up," Lennon quietly recommended as he gestured the EMT's to guide the gurney to the closest available room. "You'll feel better and maybe we'll also know more about Detective Williams by the time we're finished."

Kono looked at Lennon and then back down to the sheet covering her legs. White petals lay strewn across her lap and she roughly pushed them aside. They floated to the floor and were left behind as the gurney began to move. Her hair was now hanging loosely down because she had insisted that Chin help her pull the flower out and then untangle her braid while still in the ambulance. Now, her hair hung in a stringy ponytail of sorts over one shoulder.

She wanted Reid purged from her mind and she wanted the damnable red dress off; if Danny was in the hospital and resting, then she could do the same. Steve was there with him, along with Ramirez and Chin would remain stalwart by her side.

"Yes, okay. Fine." She nodded once, daring to smile with a look that turned into a weary type of sneer. It was her way of fighting yet another tide of tears that threatened to overwhelm her now that she was safe. And because ... _Danny was indeed alive._

"Wait," she suddenly whispered. The gurney had been positioned now inside the private exam room and she had both Chin's and Lennon's undivided attention. They were instantly on guard again but she'd merely had another thought and her eyebrow lifted in a type of mock humor.

"I want something else," she said as she picked in disgust at the red fabric clinging to her skin. Combined with the sparkle of attitude, her next words prompted Chin to find an equally relieved grin as he stood by her side. "Before I let you do anything Doctor Lennon, I want something else done. Get this _damned_ dress off me first. Then ... burn it."

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Topher Reid's assigned HPD detail had followed the medical team to the operating room. The man wasn't expected to survive, but until he expired, the doctors would be doing their very best - but so would the authorities. Those were facts which Steve absorbed and similarly to Chin, nearly discarded from a medical viewpoint at least.

At that moment, he had one other goal and that was to find Doctor Ramirez ... and therefore, Danny.

It was very late at night. Nearing three thirty, it was in reality, more morning than night and the halls were distressingly empty. Staff was light beyond the emergency room and Steve winced as his boots thudded loudly along the hallway. But his rapid walk faded and he literally stumbled over a nonexistent speed bump in the hospitals hard linoleum floor when he saw the distant silhouette. He'd been told that Danny had successfully gone though his own surgery and had been moved from recovery to the post surgical intensive care unit. Now as he strode into the somber specialty unit, he forgot what he'd just been told. Instead, he lurched to a hard stop as his mind took in a particular doctor's slouched posture and what it could mean.

Seated, alone at the farthest possible place in the silent corridor, Doctor Ramirez's face was hidden in hands that were rocked on busily jouncing knees. It was completely out of character for the big doctor and that spiked his worry so high that Steve couldn't move as he stared at the older man.

Long seconds ticked by before Steve thought to move because he vaguely realized he was _afraid_. He'd seen Danny at his very worst and had been forced to leave him in order to save Kono. It was necessary and all very right, but Steve could compartmentalize his worry - and fears - for his best friend for just so long. In fact, as soon as Kono was safe, everything had come rushing back with a startling vengeance.

When he did eventually move, it was someone else who finally found the strength to walk forward, albeit slowly and in a reverent silence. Now, his boots hardly made a sound as he narrowed the distance to Ramirez. He sat down silently next to the man, studying the bowed head and the thick streaks of gray wending their way back from a sparse brow.

"Doc?" Steve breathed in and then out. His heart was hammering in his chest by that moment as he fell silent again when there was no response. He knew though, that the doctor knew he was there, yet the man hadn't budged nor offered a single comment. More long minutes passed and Steve anxiously waited. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, but again that other person inside Steve dared speak the man's name on a harsher, louder exhale. "Ponch?"

The older doctor looked up then, an expression of utter guilt was plastered across his face. He sniffed quizzically as he looked at the dried blood on Steve's lip and the now vivid bruise on his cheek. The ex-SEAL's hair was oddly damp and sticking up in a ruffled mess. His shirt was also dank and smelled decidedly like salt water.

"What happened to you?" Ramirez asked around a raspy voice that wreaked from exhaustion. Steve blinked at the oddity of the question and his voice failed until Ramirez led him forward to easier ground. "I assume that you got that Reid-fellow? And tell me ... is Kono ... here? Is she alright?"

"Yeah." Steve nodded as his eyes searched the doctor's face for signs of trouble. All he could see though was a deep fatigue and an odd look of self-conscious guilt or personal reproach. What he saw meant that something was wrong in Ramirez's mind, but Danny was alright. Still, Steve struggled to breathe as he rubbed a spot over his t-shirt pocket. He took a moment to think and then nodded again before a short purge of words flew from his lips. "Yeah, we got him and he's in surgery. Kono's here; downstairs getting checked out. And, if you must know, Kono happened to me. What's wrong? What's bothering you?"

"Kono? Seriously?" There was a soft snort of laughter as Ponch astutely strung the unspoken dots together. His knees ceased their senseless jiggling as he wiped his palms across his slacks. He stared at Steve and cocked an eyebrow towards the brightly bruised cheek and had the gall to grin. The brief bout of amusement made Steve smile in kind along with what was becoming an almost habitual shrug that night.

"She was a little confused," Steve admitted with a small dose of chagrin for his own error earlier that evening. Ponch chuckled again with an awed shake of his head until Steve pushed to know more. "If Danny's okay, Doc, what's bothering you?"

"Me?" Ramirez sobered quickly after that. He approved of Steve's own perceptions but paused before answering. He was disappointed in himself; a feeling he wasn't used to having and wasn't entirely sure he could properly describe. Nonetheless it was the truth and he eventually answered Steve's question with an obvious relcutance. "Danny's going to be fine, Steve. But this never should have happened. Three of us didn't do the right thing and all of this could have likely been prevented. Three doctors - three consults and we all missed it. If we 'd done more tests - run more scans; triple-checked our findings ..." his voiced ended with another snort. But this one was for himself and self-imposed a significant amount of disgust.

Steve didn't know what to say about the doctor's admission. He remembered Doctor Fratelli briefly griping about something similar when Danny had first been brought back into the hospital. Evidently, the medical trend concurred early on. But when things played out differently, it only proved that there was little to be done about their hindsight now. Plus the counter-argument that three medical professionals had originally agreed to their patient's initial treatment was equally sound. So instead of putting the man's feet to the fire or trying to soothe him with words he'd deny, Steve got to his own feet to stand over the older physician.

"Can I see him?" Steve asked. His hand was nervously tapping his thigh as he gazed down at Ramirez. "I know it's late ... but I need to see him."

Ponch's lip quirked upwards. He heaved in a deep breath of air before audibly sighing as he leaned back in his chair somewhat confused by the sheer lack of judgement on Steve's part and his shrewd gaze stared intently into the younger man's eyes. "You know. Danny as much said the same thing," Ponch groused again. He considered his mess to be a complicated one, yet neither Five-0 officer would allow him to wallow.

"There it is then," Steve murmured softly before giving the doctor something he visibly winced over. "Thanks, Ponch. Seriously. Thanks for staying around and being here for us - for Danny, but you should get out of here. Unless you have more to do. But I'd like to see Danny."

Steve paused as the doctor looked at the floor. Embarrassed. Upset and a multitude of other things flew across the man's face. He was beyond exhausted and could leave now that the team had returned with good news. It was the genuine thanks and the lack of blame he was finding issue with.

"Alright." He graciously accepted Steve's thanks despite what he personally felt his due based upon an oversight. Ramirez sniffed in amazement at that fact before waving down the hallway to a distant room. "Go see Danny. He's in room 309 and he'll be very pleased to see you, too."

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Steve found the room just a few steps away, partially darkened to indicate the hour yet illuminated enough for him to clearly see Danny's face. He was surprised to see the sparkle of blue despite the lack of other obvious light.

"Hey, buddy," Steve smiled fondly, much more confident now when he spied Danny's shadowy grin. "I just saw Ponch but I didn't realize you were really awake. How do you feel?"

For the last few hours, Danny had had many starts and stops as he regained awareness. He vaguely recalled being in Reid's house each time, but couldn't quite remember what had happened after that point. Without Doctor Ramirez's presence, he never would have been able to calmly focus as he was gently reminded of Steve's and Chin's ongoing work to bring Kono home. Time had begun to worryingly merge as he lost hour after hour to unconsciousness, surgery and then murky awakenings where nothing made sense. That latest journey had first begun in the recovery room and had eventually progressed to the ICU. Through the entire process, Ramirez had prodded, coached and gently supported his ailing friend. The good doctor urged him to sleep too, but Danny needed to know - he needed to wait.

So now, as Steve entered the room, Danny was better than he would have otherwise been. It was easier to force his eyes to stay open as he had for the last many minutes once his friend arrived, too. Steve possessed an interesting air of fatigue, relief and cocky self-assurance. Without needing to ask, he knew that Reid was in custody and Kono was home ... she was safe.

"Tired but better," he replied in all honesty, a smile deepening to match Steve's own. He was sore and recovering from a number of original woes, but he was no longer assaulted by pain so severe, he could barely see or dare even to speak. What bothered him the most, while lying in bed, was his jaw which forced him to carefully enunciate his words so that they were nearly slurred. "Doc says I only have to stay another day or two."

"That's great news," Steve answered. While such a short stay was a surprise, he sadly noted the white bandage along Danny's temple and was distinctly displeased by what lay hidden under it. When he caught Danny's eye with his worry so evident, Danny merely gave a one-shouldered shrug.

"It's okay," Danny whispered. "Except ... Ponch said they shaved a few inches of my hair." At that admission, which included an accompanying roll of an eye, Steve rediscovered his grin. Their short dance continued as they acknowledged each other and shared their combined relief in having Kono home without actually saying her name.

Utterly at ease with his team whole once more, Steve pursed his lips to blow out a long steady stream of air. His partner did indeed look tired and he was deliberately forcing himself to remain awake. It was another risk which he couldn't afford to take and now, certainly didn't need to take. A number of leads attached Danny to various monitors and one lone intravenous was likely pushing antibiotics or even pain medication into his blood stream. Nonetheless, Danny had been impatiently waiting for the mission to end; for either Chin or himself to come marching through the door.

Steve studied Danny closely. Not much had changed when it came to the purpling-greenish bruises layering his friend's cheek and scoring his chin from Reid's first attack. Interestingly, his right arm was sling-free. Something which Steve assumed was only because Danny was bedridden for the time being. The sling would be back in place to support the damaged shoulder as soon as he'd be allowed to stand. Without a doubt though, the sallow and ashen pallor were both gone along with the severely pinched expression.

"You look better, Danno, but you're exhausted and need your rest." Steve carefully sat on the edge of the bed so as to not jostle it too much. He was distinctly relieved by his friend's level of awareness and respite from what had been a frighteningly debilitating pain. With a cautious inhale, Steve's pulse rate slowly resumed a more normal beat. "Maybe you should try to sleep now that everything's taken care of," he quietly suggested.

"Maybe," Danny replied, easily understanding Steve's message that their mission had been a complete success down to the smallest of details. He wanted to sleep but now he absolutely needed to know about all of those details down to each minute fraction. "Tell me ... is Kono alright? Is she here ... did he hurt her?"

"She's downstairs and getting checked out," Steve replied. "Reid kept her fairly drugged up in a room he'd barricaded off from the rest of the house. It was on the blueprints when we reviewed them before going in, but I'll get into that later with you. For now, it's good enough that Kono's home; she's a little confused and needs a decent meal or two. Chin's staying with her for the foreseeable future."

"And? Did he?" Danny prompted warningly. The slurred nature of the word _'he' _clearly indicated that he meant Topher Reid. As worried and upset as both Chin and Steve, his unspoken question revealed a concern related to a very particular threat. Steve's fast negative shake had an immediate affect as Danny literally wilted back into his bed. His eyes blinked rapidly and he used one hand to rub idly at the unexpected rise of an weary ache. "That's good ... so good."

"Reid's in emergency surgery," Steve volunteered that final update. "The doctors aren't quite sure he's going to make it."

Danny nodded, his eyes dropping to half-mast as everything he'd prayed to hear finally was delivered. The fingers on his left hand found Steve's knee and he tapped it once and then twice. "Thank you," he whispered softly and totally without a need. But Steve knew precisely what he meant by the gesture. The news about Kono was what he'd hoped and what he precisely needed to hear before he could willingly allow himself to rest. But as for Reid? Danny had about as much concern for the man's welfare as his other two friends.

"Kono will probably be staying the night," Steve added softly as he watched his friend argue against his body's needs. He frowned at Danny's obvious discomfort brought on by sheer stubbornness. "Get some sleep now, Danno. Everything's under control."

However, Danny was blearily eyeing Steve's damp clothing, mussed hair and damaged lip and cheek. Much like Chin had, Steve had barely hesitated to change his clothes from the dip in the ocean. Danny gathered that reason quickly enough, but his assumption for the bruises was that his partner had a direct confrontation with their suspect.

"Reid resisted arrest," Danny murmured around a short yawn. His eyes opened and then closed briefly, only to stubbornly open again. Half-mast certainly, but Steve could see the defiant sparkle of blue.

"He did," Steve confirmed almost too defensively as he got to his feet. Once more he pursed his lips and his face slightly colored in the dim light of the room. His cheek tingled at the memory of Kono's stunning head butt and it was all he could do to restrain himself from touching his swollen lip. "He didn't leave Chin a choice in what happened next. We can talk more later. Get some sleep, Danno. You need it."

"_You... you_ didn't ... duck," Danny pushed out his accusation, his eyes closing briefly before mulishly rebounding open. His brow squinted as he briefly paused to ponder what Steve had said a bit longer. "Wait ... Chin?"

Steve's face blushed a bit more, however, Danny's gaze had become glassy and unfocused so he wisely held his tongue. He smirked in amusement when Danny's left hand weakly waved through the air before it dropped passively to the bed as his eyes skidded shut. "Go to sleep, buddy," Steve whispered softly. Seconds later, Danny was sound asleep and if he had more to say or even question, it would have to wait.

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	13. Chapter 13

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

"Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. "Pooh?" he whispered.  
>"Yes, Piglet?"<br>"Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's hand. "I just wanted to be sure of you."  
>― A.A. Milne, <em>Winnie-the-Pooh<em>

**Chapter Thirteen: ****_No Kau a Kau ~ For Eternity_**

Chin wheeled Kono into the intensive care unit. According to Doctor Ramirez, the surgery had gone well and Danny had been quietly resting now for hours. Steve had seen him personally and brought him up-to-speed. Based upon what Steve shared next, Danny had been tremendously relieved by their successes and had fallen asleep virtually mid-sentence. Despite that happy news, Chin winced when he saw his friend lying so pale and quiet. So soon after the first hospital visit, he saw what Steve had first noticed: that Danny's face was still very bruised and another wound had been added under a thick, heavy bandage. For what seemed the hundredth time, Chin found himself completely unconcerned about Topher Reid's fate even though what might happen would be at his own hands.

"Stop," Kono whispered, already rising from the wheelchair before he'd even ground to a halt or had time to thumb the brake.

"He's sleeping," Chin needlessly whispered under his breath. With a patience that seemed to never end sometimes, Chin guided Kono's hand to the mattress for balance. Her hair was now damp and brushed though to hang down her back. Out of habit, she tucked a few belligerent stray strands behind her ear even though her fingers were still trembling. She had permitted Lennon and his team to tend her as soon as the red dress had been properly disposed of. For the time being, that meant bagged and retained as evidence. Something that Kono well knew in the back of her mind, but refused to acknowledge. As far as she was concerned, even making believe that it had been burned was satisfying enough. A nurse had helped her to take the hottest shower which she could stand. That same nurse had found a hospital-issue bathrobe to cover the thin material of the pale blue gown. The robe was ancient and worn, but it covered her completely down to her ankles. Afterwards though, when the doctor had deemed her in no apparent physical danger and her room had been readied, she'd momentarily declined further care until she'd had her way.

_"Now. I'm going now and I don't care what time it is!"_ Kono's eyes had darkened with annoyance when Lennon had attempted to change her mind for a second time.

_"It's not a good idea,"_ Lennon had tried to interrupt her, his look nearly mirrored that of his patient's which soon had forced Chin to intervene._ "If your Commander says that he's fine and sleeping, I fail to see why you need to see him. Your vitals are from being stabilized ... you both need to rest ... it's almost dawn!"_

_"Doctor Lennon,"_ Chin had inserted himself between his cousin and the flabbergasted doctor. His jaw moved painfully because in a large way, he did agree with the young physician. Kono was dehydrated, bordering on famished, and still under the influence of strong sedatives; toxic drugs that needed to be flushed from her system. It was apparent that she ached to sleep, too. Her body needed all of these things to recover. However, this time, she was sticking fast to her argument and making no compromises.

As her shoulders tensed under his hand, Chin easily recognized the war that was to come._ "I'll take her for a few minutes; we won't be long,"_ Chin interjected to calm Kono's rising irritation. He knew without a doubt that what Kono needed at that very moment far outweighed logical medical advice. To quiet his own nerves, when he reluctantly supported her decision, his fists were welded to his hips as he made a simple statement. _ "We'll need a wheelchair." _

Now in Danny's ICU room, her left hand slid along the outside of the blankets, just shy of his body as she leaned into the bed to keep her feet squarely under herself. She had believed Reid and she hated him more for the lie now. She was tired of being _tired_ and plain angry at being so out of sorts. Her thoughts were still muddy. Her reactions were slow and behind in an odd sort of way; as if she weren't yet back at home in her own body.

Kono leaned heavily into the bed as her hand slid along the side until she found Danny's left hand still scabbed and roughened by scrapes which were finally beginning to heal. "He's cold," she whispered automatically. Her voice broke and though she didn't think she had any more tears left, her eyes pricked painfully when she saw his face for the first time. She had anticipated seeing the bandage covering part of his head, but not the colorful bruising which traced his cheek nor so heavily marked his jawline. "He looks terrible. What ... _what_ happened? Chin?"

"Remember I told you," Chin softly and patiently provided yet another abridged recap for her sake. His own head was beginning to throb from the ongoing stress of managing the abysmally long day. He hissed under his breath when her knees wobbled but she regained her balance by pausing briefly. "Slow down," he murmured. They were both whispering as softly as humanly possible. Their voices were low in the room and barely above a rhythmic beep of a random machine. "He was surprised from behind and when he fell, he put his hand out. His right shoulder was dislocated; but when he was hit ... the one to his temple prompted the slow bleed. Ramirez and Fratelli say he's going to be fine ... he's going to be okay with rest, Kono."

But again, her question might have been rhetorical because Chin could see that she was barely paying any heed to his words. Her attention span was limited, jumping to stray to the oddest of distractions. She would listen and soon forget what she'd been told. Or conversely, ask a question but become so distracted with something else that she never quite grasped the answer only to ask the same thing a few minutes later. However, now that she was with Danny, her focus was entirely true.

"Danny?" Not quite expecting an answer, Kono whispered his name anyway as she eased herself down to sit next to his hip. Her eyes were huge, darkly full of tears and still able to show her tale of being over-drugged by the way they glistened in her face. She had his hand enveloped now in both of hers and was completely unaware that her sporadic trembling was shaking his fingers in kind.

"Fratelli recently administered Danny's latest round of medication, Kono. He's going to be out for awhile," Chin quietly reminded her. He was relieved when she took a moment to nod her understanding. For their short trip, Lennon had removed her IV drip - again done under protest. But she had insisted because she didn't want to feel _tethered_ or _trapped_ when she saw Danny. While Chin understood her feelings, he now used it to gently coax her to leave. "Danny's going to sleep and you need to sleep too. Let me take you back to your room. Lennon wants to restart your IV so he can flush your system out; maybe you can try to eat something. The sooner you get started and follow Lennon's orders, the faster you can go home."

"Wait. In a minute," Kono murmured back. Her eyes were on Danny's face and she had no intention of leaving so quickly. Instead, she leaned forward with his hand still in her left and her right now gently tracing his hairline around the bandage. She knew she was acting strangely but she wasn't quite right yet. Oddly, she had an urge to make sure this was real ... _that Danny was real._ Inside, part of her chastised herself for the sheer stupidity of the thought, while another simply didn't care. "Topher said he'd died ... he said that he'd been killed. I was stupid to believe _him_ and so stupid not to listen to Danny in the first place. So, so stupid."

"You're not stupid, Kono," Chin sighed on the softest of exhales, slightly irked when Kono used the man's first name. "Far from it. But _he_ lied."

Her next move was completely spontaneous and if she were thinking clearly, she'd still blame it on the volume of drugs in her system. In reality, she was exhausted and utterly driven by a simple tide of emotion. What she acted on felt right and was done with a single thankful sigh. The upper part of her body followed her right hand as she stroked Danny's hair. Her legs left the floor next as she tucked herself gingerly along his left side. She arranged herself carefully, Danny's left hand still clutched in hers while she propped herself on her right elbow. She stayed that way with Chin behind her now to ensure she wouldn't topple to the floor off the side of the bed while she stared sadly at Danny's face. Tears fell and then soaked into his hospital gown when she bowed her head to his shoulder, eyes closing as she just listened to him breathe.

"I won't stay long," Kono whispered softly. "I just need to be sure." Behind her and standing sentry, Chin didn't know what more to do or even say, so he simply waited.

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	14. Chapter 14

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

_"I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that's_  
><em>why."<em>  
><em>― John Steinbeck, <span>Of Mice and Men<span>_

**Chapter Fourteen: ****_No Kau a Kau ~ For Eternity_**

"Chin. Help me," Kono murmured while shifting slightly. Just enough to begin dropping her legs to the floor, but not enough to try to commit as her fatigue grew and rubbery muscles threatened to fail. She was ready now to be taken care of and wiling to allow her cousin to now manage everything on her behalf. With an approving nod, Chin neatly caught her upper body to make a smooth transition back to the wheelchair. The move was so easy, barely an imprint of Kono's body was left on the sheets. First she was there next to Danny and then she simply wasn't.

Chin saw the difference in her before they even left the intensive care unit. Gone was the anxiety from her shoulders, as well as the wide-eyed look of defensiveness which had bordered more on fear. Or, maybe that look had been entirely derived from fear. Either way, it didn't precisely matter because she was innately calmer. The few minutes with Danny had satisfied a desperate need which he fully understood and appreciated. He had no lingering doubts that Kono would be able to rest, at least when it came to being reassured of at least that one core worry.

But he still felt as if he'd been kicked in the gut, especially when Kono started to talk.

"Danny's so sick because of me," she unexpectedly said. "He could have died ... Topher really could have killed him." She was looking at her fingers where they lay folded in her lap. She was slowly becoming tense again. Her fingers flexed and then made tight fists, but Chin realized it was because she was physically trying to stop herself from trembling. With the amount of drugs Reid had forced on her though, the attempt was almost pitiful. "Why didn't I listen to Danny? I totally thought he was over-reacting and I just didn't _listen_."

Suddenly on edge, Chin rubbed his palms hard across the bars on the wheelchair. "I'm not much better," he whispered over her head as his own feelings of guilt percolated up. He levered a heavy sigh which made Kono try to turn enough to see his face. His attitude was immediately confusing to her so he tried to explain himself. "We found you because I remembered something from when you were competing. Something important when our case-related prospects failed right off the bat and we had no leads. I started to string together what Danny said about this photographer to what those damned anonymous gifts could mean. I went to your place and found the teddy bear. There was ankle bracelet inside a zippered section of the fake heart and then it all started to come together."

For a while, the two were silent when the elevator door opened. Chin was trying to figure out how to best explain such a critical lapse in his own personal judgement and Kono was attempting to wrap her head around what her cousin was actually saying. Her ability to think clearly though was still somewhat jeopardized but Chin's stilted words were slowly beginning to make sense as she recalled those things which Topher had bragged about. At the time, she had been much too worried about Danny to understand the implications or what Topher had really been saying.

"You knew him," she softly murmured as a certain realization dawned. "That's what he meant ... that's why he knew so much about me. He followed me along the circuit and that's where it all started. But Chin, you _knew_ him?"

"Yeah. I knew him ... _saw_ him ... and then, confronted him at one point, too," Chin replied, his voice finally betraying his guilty emotions. He felt entirely responsible for her abduction and wasn't sure he could find a way to forgive himself. His short explanation initiated the first few steps of that confession and he carefully found the right way to continue. "You were twelve when he showed up. He didn't fit - his looks, age, background - and it seemed to escalate over time. I thought I was protecting you and doing the right thing by not telling you; and maybe I was. At least while you were on the circuit and competing. Then, when he left the island after you were injured, I never thought he would come back. Regardless, I should have at least told you the man existed as you got older."

Kono sat quietly as he Chin slowly escorted her back to her room. She was experiencing a new type of turmoil and unsure of how to react. _Cristo_, the street kid, who had been enamored with her at such an early age, then had more than twelve years to foster his stalker-like tendencies. Her brain might be clouded by a haze yet she was stringing the clues along and filing in gaps which Chin didn't quite voice. Her cousin had been aware of the danger and had said ... _nothing_. Chin had said nothing, yet Topher had twelve years worth of denial and rejection. He'd used the time to not only redefine himself, but to also hone his hatred ... and obsession.

Kono clenched her fingers again, hard enough to made dents in her palms from her nails. There was a sparkle of anger about being kept in the dark, but then it was gone just as quickly. If Chin had told her about _Cristo Reed_ along the way: w_hat would it have mattered? _

"Chin, it's okay," Kono said, though another spat of unwanted tears were filling her eyes. Only one constant truth would have been proven. "He would have come back anyway. All of this probably would have happened even if you had told me."

"I'm sorry, Kono," Chin stopped moving, swinging around to kneel in front of her. "I should have told you about Cristo Reed and the restraining order. I should have told you. But after your surfing accident, there never seemed to be a good time. Then, after you stopped competing and he left the island ... Reed was just a bad memory. Still, we ... no _you_ ... would have been more prepared in the long run had you known." Crouched down by the wheelchair, Chin was at a loss of what more to say. He was as upset as she, though he lacked the tears that were now flowing down her cheeks.

"God, I hate crying already," Kono choked out a teary laugh, embarrassed about her emotional reactions. She shrugged about Chin's apology. Not to diminish his feelings, but because she couldn't see a way where telling her might have made sense.

"Chin, I'm not sure telling me would have done much." Kono finally just stated out loud what she was thinking as she put her hand on his, tugging his fingers into her own. "No matter when you might have told me, what was I supposed to have done? Looked over my shoulder every day for God knows how many years? Wondered if he might come back? Topher's a serial stalker and twelve years to him, is entirely different to what it means to _us_. And if I'd wound up in the same spot as I just did, what good would it have done me to actually know who he really was? Would either one of us have recognized him for the grown man he is today before it was too late?"

Kono was tired and not sure she was making sense, but she didn't fully believe that her cousin's argument was entirely sound. Frankly, she was too mentally fatigued to even _want_ to be angry with someone she truly loved. Her disappointment with herself for not listening to Danny trumped her ability to comprehend how being told about a one-time stalker from her youth might have _mattered now_. She would never know if that knowledge might have made her pay more attention to Danny. No one would ever know and wondering about what might have been was simply too hard.

Using the back of her hand, she roughly wiped the tears away from her cheeks. "It's okay, cuz. Really."

"It's not," Chin argued gently. His voice dropped to a soft whisper, knowing that he was going to eventually lose the battle. He found himself chuffing a half-awed chuckle under his breath when Kono managed a genuine smile which clearly strived to remove his feelings of guilt. There was little doubt, actually, that he'd already lost the battle.

"Let's get you to bed," Chin smiled in kind. He resumed his position behind the wheelchair where he eventually laid a supportive hand on her shoulder. Her fingers came up to intertwine with his and they maintained a companionable silence the entire way.

"Thank you," Kono whispered, her eyes now barely open as she slid under the sheets with his help. She had meant to eat something, but now she wasn't even sure she cared to expend any more effort. A nurse was already there attaching a pulse oximeter to a finger and then the requisite fluids to the port left affixed to her hand. Through the drawn shade which covered the window, the brightness of dawn was slightly illuminating the room and she stared at the muted light with a look of relief.

"I'll be right here," Chin said, as her eyes automatically moved to the open door and then back towards his face. She blinked once, then twice. But on the third, her eyes simply remained closed and Chin made a soft, pleased sound. The nurse lingered briefly and then tapped her watch to clearly communicate that he could anticipate his cousin sleeping for a great many hours. The nurse left on a nearly silent footfall, squeezing by Steve who was suddenly in the doorway.

"Hey," Steve whispered as he entered the hospital room. He smiled as he caught Chin's eye, relieved by his friend's easier demeanor. "Besides exhausted, how's our girl? She okay after seeing Danny?"

"Much better," Chin replied. His look altered though as Steve joined him quietly by the window. Steve had rejoined the HPD team guarding their badly wounded suspect. Besides gaining a status on Topher Reid's condition, he had realized that Reid would eventually be moved to the surgical intensive care. The same section where Danny was recovering, and that fact hadn't been exactly comforting. Rightly knowing that additional plans would be required to keep Reid in custody, Steve had wanted to cut any issues off with hospital staff before they could rear their heads.

"So," Chin's upper lip now curled into a disgusted sneer at the thought of needing to ask. "What's going on with _him_? What did hospital administration have to say about our needs to maintain a presence?"

"They didn't have to say a word," Steve replied blandly. He was looking at Kono when he added softly, "We'll need to notify any next of kin on the island. If they want him, that is."

Chin shifted uncomfortably at the news. It shouldn't be unexpected for what they'd heard in the emergency room. Yet, learning that Reid had actually died while being operated on was momentarily disquieting. As if to compound that feeling, there was a small flicker of regret inside Chin's chest. However, that lasted no more than a heartbeat in duration when he followed Steve's gaze. His face hardened and his subsequent response was as equally succinct. "My report will be on your desk by tomorrow afternoon."

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Danny huffed impatiently as he shuffled diligently down the hall with one hand on the rail installed precisely for patients such as himself. His taller self-appointed shadow ambled along just as slowly on his right. He'd slept through to lunch, waking to find Steve camped out comfortably in a corner of his room with a placid expression plastered across his face. He'd been duly brought up to speed regarding the mission and Reid's fate, but he'd really only wanted to know about Kono.

"He walled off a wine cellar," Danny muttered again under his breath. His disgust about being so close to Kono while in Reid's house was nearly overwhelming and he panted breathlessly while trying to both talk and walk at the same time. "She was right _there_, Steve. Under our very noses!"

"I know," Steve repeated. While Danny harped on that one point, he'd had more time to reconcile himself to that nearly grievous fact. Even Chin had managed to somewhat accept what they'd eventually learned before implementing their successful late night rescue.

"The only thing that matters is that she's home, Danny. She's _safe_ and probably going to sleep now for a very long time." When it came to being thankful, there was even more that he could add as he kept pace with his friend. With that thought in mind, Steve glanced down, his hand at the ready should Danny accidentally lose his balance or overdue what was his first short walk post surgery.

"Don't go too far," Steve cautioned. "Fratelli said to stretch your legs, Danno. Not run a marathon." He smiled fondly when Danny shook his head at the cautionary reminder. Steve was astounded though that Danny was even on his feet for any number of very valid reasons and couldn't entirely help himself for the softhearted comments, nor for the way he felt that he needed to hover.

"We should go back," Steve shrugged helplessly when Danny stared at him, another disbelieving shake of his head communicating his ongoing disapproval of the pestering. Yet, other than sharing a look, Danny didn't say a single word about it. Instead, Steve raised a quizzical eyebrow when he saw the brief glint of stubbornness as Danny gripped the rail and hesitated as if considering going farther.

Danny mumbled something as he obediently changed course to return the way they'd come and accepted the instantaneous help which Steve provided. On this return trip, he needed Steve's arm for balance as his slung right arm faced the wall and guide rail. While he could have easily crossed the hallway for the opposite side, he simply didn't feel like bothering and based on Steve's reaction, neither did he.

The two walked quietly together, their goal now Danny's hospital room which was indeed far enough away for the ailing man. "You good?" Steve asked as he took a firmer hold of Danny's left elbow.

"Yup," Danny said, a grin creeping across his face when he looked up and saw the dark bruises on Steve's cheekbone. The fat lip was more than obvious, too, where Kono's first not so wild punch had connected with his mouth. Doctor Ramirez had slipped earlier and innocently mentioned to Danny how Steve had gotten the darkly iridescent colors. The truth had at first rendered Danny speechless, but then he'd been quickly tickled by it. With their change of direction in the hallway, the bruised skin now faced Danny and it reminded him of his need to toy with Steve a bit.

"How does your face feel?" Danny asked, almost too benignly. "Must hurt ... looks pretty painful, babe. Fat lip ... pretty good punch there to your cheek. I'm surprised you don't have a black eye."

"It's not too bad," Steve replied, a slight hesitation in his tone. His fingers moved on Danny's elbow when he paused in the hallway as if needing to take a short break.

"You know," Danny started, a grin creeping across his face as he cocked his head and eyed the bruises. "When it comes to Five-0 and your team, you're now two for three."

_Two for three? _Steve scowled at the odd comment which almost sounded like a challenge. It was a ploy or a trick and he didn't trust it a bit as he stood next to his friend in the hallway. Steve searched his brain trying to figure out what Danny might be referring to and came up empty. Therefore, his gut instinct was not to reply.

"That's good. The silent treatment," Danny chuffed under his breath. He knew that Steve was clueless about what he'd just stated. Nonetheless,the truth behind how he got the bruises - compliments of Kono - was simply too much to write off. He smiled happily as he remembered the first day he met his one-time inglorious and baffling new partner.

_A meeting that had included a well-placed fist of his own to Steve's arrogant jaw. _

"You're seriously not going to bite?" Danny goaded with a mild tone. "Two ... for three of us?"

"Nope," Steve smirked, hoping Danny would drop whatever it was he seemed so deviously pleased about. His mind was racing though as he tried to get to the crux of whatever Danny's joke might be. A joke that would be entirely at his expense based solely upon Danny's gleeful look.

Danny stood stock still in the hallway, his elbow held tightly by his friend's unflagging grip. His grin deepened as he intentionally eyed Steve's multicolored cheek and sore, fat lip. With that one pointed look, Steve narrowed his eyes as _'two for three_' finally made sense.

"Shut up, Danno," Steve muttered in disgust as Danny began to chuckle. He would be having a small heart-to-heart talk with one Doctor Ramirez for confessing how he'd truly hurt his face. He knew that Danny might have even painfully poked at his achy skin if not for the sling supporting his right arm.

"First me and now Kono, Steven," Danny began to explain his comment in more detail in case Steve might need the help. There was a distinct sense of humor lacing his voice but he winced when Steve's fingers dug a bit more sturdily into his elbow. Still, Danny clung tenaciously to his joke even when he felt himself now being propelled physically towards his hospital room.

"You don't find it funny? Out of the three of us, Chin's the only one who hasn't ..."

"Shut up and walk, Danno."

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	15. Chapter 15

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Notes: **my continued thanks to everyone's patience with another derailed story (it only means readers get more chapters which I hope continue to deliver some interest).

This chapter was difficult to get 'right' and it took time/rehashing/ more rehashing (KQ's well-placed _"what the hell is this drivel?"_ - well, not in so many words, but close) ... As always, my beta's are awesome! KQ, CinderH ... pinch-hitting honors to Jazzie and Fifilla, too, when doubt sets in and the bunny requires a solid thrashing (and re-thrashing)!

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

_Silence make the real conversations between friends. Not the saying, but the never needing to say that counts." _

_― Margaret Lee Runbeck_

**Chapter Fifteen: ****_No Kau a Kau ~ For Eternity_**

When Kono next woke, night had fallen and she was incredibly confused - and hungry. There was a split second of time when a sharp feeling of anxiety fluttered through her chest and she was afraid to open her eyes. A frantic moment when she doubted everything she might see until her eyes flew open anyway and she confirmed the existence of a darkened window. Nonetheless, her breathing only began to calm when she picked up on the soft sounds of voices from the hospital corridor. Only then did her fists unclench and she gave a hesitant stretch to test her general well-being.

"I'm glad you decided not to hit the closest thing because you'd probably of killed me," a male voice chuckled off to her left and she stopped moving. The tone was happy, pleased and definitely playful with a small hint of a weary ache. Everything which she wasn't quite sure she could dare yet copy in herself as her emotions fluctuated wildly.

"Even on a good day, Steve's head is decidedly harder than mine, too," the voice intoned with a decided gleeful smirk. "Though ... you probably found that out first-hand."

"Danny," Kono's throat was dry and she no more than croaked his name out.

"Are you really awake, now?" Danny teased. "I can't stay long, and you've already given new meaning to Sleeping Beauty. But then again, you were always a classic."

She had a lot to say about that final comment if she could just get her mouth to unhinge itself from her brain. An automatic reply was there - just within reach - yet, she couldn't gather enough moisture to actually verbalize what she was thinking. Which was probably a very good thing. If any of those select thoughts made it out, they would be acid-tongued and most definitely laced with resentment from a short-term, but already learned, defensive response mechanism.

With her eyes not quite focused and her mouth refusing to cooperate, Kono turned on her side to face her visitor. Her heart had leaped upwards too at the sound of his voice and she needed the few seconds to better center herself.

_Hospital. Danny. He hadn't been killed like Topher had vowed._

As she focused on him at that very moment, all of the caustic comments fled her as quickly as they'd come to mind. She smiled at the tousled blonde head backlit by dim evening light and managed to snort in mock derision at his humorous compliment instead, because - this was _Danny_. He was sitting in a wheelchair next to the side of her bed and at a height which left them nearly face to face with each other. She, of course, had no clue as to how long he might have been sitting there, though he looked tired and so obviously remained a patient in the hospital. Regardless, she was incredibly happy to see him.

"That was _so_ bad, brah," Kono grinned, a dry cough on the heels of her short sentence. "_Really_, really ... so bad. Should you even be here?"

"What can I say? It's not totally my fault that I'm a little off my game," Danny pouted dramatically, grinning as Kono squirmed to a better position where she could reach the water left for her more easily. He avoided her last question because he'd been AWOL a bit longer than he'd intended himself. His late evening sojourn away from his new room hadn't precisely been illicit until it had taken him to Kono's floor.

At that point, he'd gone off the radar of his diligent nurses and doctor in the step-down ward where he'd gained a bit more freedom. However, he'd been missed almost instantly and tracked down with a fair amount of ease as staff threaded together the very few possibilities of his likely travels. This time, it had been Doctor Fratelli who had gone toe-to-toe with his wayward patient. A final compromise had been the wheelchair and ten minutes of visiting time to satisfy Danny's vivid imagination. He'd certainly used up his favors, a benevolent time allowance was virtually gone, and Danny could literally feel the activity increasing in the hallway as an orderly was beckoned towards the room. He almost grinned to himself about what Doctor Ramirez might have to say about his opportunistic ways.

"So, I only have a few minutes," he repeated, glancing towards the doorway when a shape blocked the light from hallway. Fratelli had been adamant and there were no other negotiations available. His patient was doing remarkably well, but would be allowed zero risks. The move from intensive care unit to a more regular ward just after dinner was a distinct relief to everyone. It had even permitted Steve the luxury of relaxing his severity and he'd left the hospital to join Chin at Five-0 Headquarters in order to cater to mandatory reports and the crime scene unit's initial findings at Reid's large house.

He sighed loudly against what felt like a budding house-arrest amongst his physicians. Nonetheless, a genuine smile beamed quickly back in Kono's direction. "Just give me a day or two because I'm just warming up. Brain surgery and all ... tends to affect my witty one-liners."

"What!" Her eyes had followed his to identify the orderly who hovered now just inside her room. However, her first sip from the small cup corresponded to his blasé reply and she coughed again, this time for a new reason when she inhaled water on a laugh. The cup shook in her hand, spilling drops of water down her chin as her second hand covered her mouth. "Danny! I can't believe you just said that!" she gasped, eyes wide in surprise but clearing quickly to sober as she truly got a better look at him. Even in the poor light, she could easily see the bandage on his temple and the fact that his arm was strapped to his side. Yet, he was grinning foolishly and entirely pleased with himself for watching her wake - and then, daring to actually make her _laugh_.

"Stop. That's not funny, brah," Kono reprimanded him softly. The bandages were a painful reminder of Topher and she caught her lip between her teeth pensively. "Hey, Danny?" Her hand sought his as the orderly advanced almost apologetically. She of course wanted to say so much more, but Danny unexpectedly used her hand to pull himself to carefully stand.

"Danny, ...," she complained about his decision to vacate the wheelchair. Her hand holding his fingers more strongly as she too, sat up in bed to meet him half way. But any more words about how he felt or even what she dared to ask about Topher Reid failed when Danny tried to give her an awkward hug. She laughed softly into his good shoulder and managed to more hold him up than hug him in return.

"You're going to fall," Kono chastised while setting him back on his feet where he leaned wearily against the bed. He didn't say anything else though and that silence which lingered communicated something important and Kono frowned. Danny's smile was there, however it had evaporated from his eyes. He also remained stubbornly quiet even after she tried to prompt him to speak when a dire realization crept into her mind about Topher Reid.

"Danny?" She asked hesitantly. Wanting to know for sure but not trusting her voice, she shook her head. His fingers tightened warningly on her hand when Kono's face changed again.

_Topher was indeed dead a_nd nothing really needed to be said out loud. Though it was shared silently, Kono didn't know what to think about that information. Her frown deepened as she struggled to frame the knowledge in her brain.

_ Topher had been killed during her rescue ._.. and if Steve had been with her on the beach, that only left her cousin as the one responsible.

"Danny,...," Kono shook her head in bewilderment. There was a pained tone to her voice, her eyes dropping to their joined hands where he was now rubbing her knuckles with his thumb. His gesture was more of a warning than a gentle touch; he meant to communicate his disapproval of discussing anything - _or anyone_ - else. Still, she didn't know what to think and wasn't sure she cared about Topher's death. Yet, for some reason, she did care and that bothered her too. But she was forgetting a very important thing about herself and so, Danny's not so subtle request tracing her knuckles reminded her.

"I need," she began to try to phrase her apology the right way. "No, I should ... tell you ..." Her eyes dropped sadly to the bed as she inhaled deeply, but she never had the chance to continue.

"Chin's on his way back here from the office," Danny interrupted, shrugging helplessly about his reluctance to verbalize more than the very basics. Using the distraction which the orderly provided when the man murmured his request to leave the room, Danny only allowed himself to be helped back into the wheelchair. Concerned but now also quiet, Kono caught his spark of annoyance about leaving communicated by his refusal to lessen the hold on her hand. By not letting go, the orderly was forced to wait a bit longer which gave Danny some time to expound on what he knew about Chin.

"He had a few things to do with Steve and HPD. But I think you can actually go home tonight," Danny shared. "Once the doctors are satisfied, Chin can take you home." He smiled when her mouth dropped open in surprise, pleased to provide her with better news. His thumb quickened its pace a bit more soothingly when she managed a happier grin. She chuffed a somewhat astonished noise under her breath though for inadvertently having earned his approval by accepting the brevity of conversation.

"It's okay," he promised softly. "You're doing great and can go home tonight. Have something decent to eat ... get some more rest."

"Really?" Kono asked as she permitted the diversion and his stubborn ability to stay on a certain subject of conversation. He'd inquired about her status though during his heart-to-heart with Fratelli over his own care. Based upon Kono's much-improved condition and levels of rehydration, she was essentially going to be fine; therefore, free to go home post any last medical clearances and assurances that any drugs were indeed out of her bloodstream. Anything else and other portions of their conversation could - and would - wait for a better time. A more private place.

"Yup," Danny repeated calmly. "You're doing great."

"And you?" Kono prompted, the worry about his injuries so obvious in the tone of her question. She had so much more to ask, too. Questions about Topher and what precisely Chin and Steve might be caring for with HPD despite Danny's ability to deflect. Her mind switched into high gear and she barely kept her mouth closed. In all reality, she actually didn't _want_ to ask or know more about her abductor.

"Danny," she breathed out suddenly. Her face fell and her fingers wrapped more tightly around his hand. She persisted in her need to apologize despite his silent demands. Her resolve waffled and she shook her head to argue his advice. She'd been so wrong about ignoring his experience and natural shrewdness - his _warnings_.

"Another day or so," Danny interrupted her mental ramblings to answer her first question. "Maybe three."

"That's good," Kono said after a moment, finally abandoning some of her guilt. They would certainly talk later though and on her terms. She could accept that compromise and so, she smiled as her eyes met those of the even-tempered orderly.

"I guess I have to go," Danny growled under his breath when she winced comically at what must have been a plea from the man standing behind him. Still, he examined her expression with an astute appraisal, smirking when Kono had the gall to do the same to him.

"I'm fine," Kono blurted out suddenly. She blinked at her own statement and even visibly nodded as the truth bravely peeked out to float between them. While she had been stunned about the news of Topher's death, she really was okay. It was easy to rediscover her hatred for him; not only for herself, but for what he'd done to Danny. With that firm finality decided, Kono's head cocked to the left as she gave permission for the orderly to take her friend back to his own room.

"You should get some rest though," she stated in all sincerity. "But I really am, Danny. I'm fine,"

"Yes, you are," Danny noted appreciatively. His confidence in her made her smile again as the orderly backed the wheelchair away from the bed. But then Danny was forcibly stopping the man and making him turn back for one more thing. She stared at him in confusion, her smile growing when one finger on his left hand came up almost plaintively.

"What?" She asked, in amusement. "What's wrong?" His eyes were sparkling deviously, but what he said next had her mind scrambling for purchase.

"My surfboard's broken," Danny stated in disgust. "Busted. Right in half. So, what exactly am I supposed to do about that?" He pursed his lips in mock distress while waiting out the stunned look she gave him. He knew that his comment would completely take her down yet another path, proven by her inability to immediately reply. He watched her string something together and wasn't disappointed by her very basic response.

"Okay, Danny," Kono chuckled softly, unsure of what else to say at that revelation. "I'll look into it ... I'll think of ... something."

Their eyes met one final time and then he was gone, leaving her to mull over how she really was coping over so many things. But most importantly, the fact that Danny's_ 'surfboard was broken'_ and Kono laughed out loud.

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	16. Chapter 16

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

_"People will walk in and walk out of your life, _

_but the one whose footstep made a long lasting impression _

_is the one you should never allow to walk out." _

_― Michael Bassey Johnson_

_**Chapter Sixteen: ****No Kau a Kau ~ For Eternity**_

Kono was standing at the water's edge, her bare feet just dampened by the occasional suds of foam which hissed up to cover her toes. She was staring at the horizon and looked as if she were contemplating the surfing conditions. In reality, she had only one thing on her mind and that thought would have startled any single member of her team. The only person it hadn't alarmed was Doctor Carla Santiago, duly appointed law enforcement psychologist, who seemed to anticipated the question when it emanated without warning from her client's mouth.

_"Am I good cop? Because I sure as hell don't seem to have the instincts." _

The damaging thought had only recently settled in her brain to test her with its meanness. Doctor Santiago had easily disputed Kono's very negative knee-jerk reaction to the self-imposed question with a wisdom which Kono appreciated, but still doubted. At least ... _sometimes_ like that very afternoon with her team ranged comfortably behind her on the lanai. She was at a terrible crossroads now that Topher was dead and buried. She had meant to sweep him away as if he'd never existed, but he'd left a mark on her very soul. She felt responsible for his actions in an odd sort of way, something which Carla seemed to understand with a breezy air of acceptance

_"Of course you feel that you're responsible,"_ Carla had said. _"It's quite natural. You're looking for the rational in the irrational though, because the reality is, that he could have chosen anyone. You represented something to him - like a trophy. That truth relieves you of any responsibility when it comes to who - and then what - Cristo Reed was."_

The advice was sound. Kono knew that and even understood it from her studies at the police academy. Experiencing what she had first-hand though was entirely something else again. So, she found herself visiting a dour place where her doubt in herself grew in its intensity since she hadn't seen _him_ coming; even when the one-time stranger had been pointed out veritably under her very nose. Rationalizing her lack of responsibility for making the man who he was, didn't exactly work when it came to those other expected actions deemed police-worthy in her mind. That very lack of action had nearly killed one of her dearest friends which made demeaned herself in her own eyes even more.

"Damn it," Kono muttered bitterly before digging into the wet sand with her toes. She was standing on Steve's beach feeling three pairs of eyes boring into her back. Danny being one of those who remained concerned about _her_ welfare and she felt herself prickle angrily about that well intentioned, but quite unearned, consideration. She scowled when she felt Steve wander up to stand by her side.

"Which one sent you?" She asked resentfully. "Chin or Danny?"

"Neither," Steve remarked just as curtly, though a tolerant smile played across his lips. He purposefully bumped into her shoulder before drawling out an entirely contrived explanation. "We drew straws and I lost."

"Nice," Kono murmured sarcastically, managing to smile just enough before she lost the short flare of humor. She might never have actual proof, she suspected that Steve had been sent to check on her by Danny. Her attempt at sucking in a deep breath to settle her mind failed, as her throat contracted painfully.

"He got hurt because of me," she voiced more loudly to conquer a tearful cracking sound. While no one on her team had heard her latest internal doubts, they all had heard this particular complaint time and again. She expressed herself with even more animosity when he peered quizzically into her face, staring back at him with a black look as if daring him to say otherwise. "Why did I refuse to listen to him? He could have been killed and I totally blew him off time and again."

"Is that what you're thinking about?" Steve asked, gently. "Let it go, Kono. Or at least learn from what happened; use it and stow that usefulness in your mind. Anything else should be purged and thrown away. Danny's going to be fine and he doesn't blame you at all."

"He should," Kono remarked bitterly. She shook her head as her thoughts careened carelessly back to what she desperately had begun to worry about regardless of Carla's wise advice. When it came to Danny, she felt guilty and that boiled down to questioning if she really was a good police officer.

_"Was she a good cop? Was she too blind in reading people to be of any value to a partner?" _The mental threats nearly suffocated her as they took away her ability to let anything go or even reason out that they were untrue. Kono frowned as Steve blithely altered the subject to derail her musings to something which Danny had been focused on before her solo trip down to stand at the water's edge: surfing.

"He only wants to surf again. Who ever would have thought that _Danny_ would _surf_ ... or even be so good at it?" Steve added conversationally, a pleased smile tugging at his lips. He paused to pull a long swallow from the bottle of beer which he'd carried down to the beach. Danny would be sidelined for weeks. In reality, it would be months before he'd be permitted to even try to stand on a board for fear of injury to his head. But his friend was adamant about one thing: he did want to resume surfing to placate his bruised ego as soon as his phalanx of physicians permitted it. "He's been complaining about that busted board for days and doesn't want advice from any of us. You're going to have to help him out. Only you will do and he wants to go surfing as soon as he's been cleared."

"Why? I don't know why anyone would want anything from me," Kono groused softly under her breath, realizing her mistake as soon as the words left her mouth. Without needing to look at his face, she felt Steve stiffen in surprise. He was too damned smart for his own good and she could almost feel the wheels clicking into place with a startling rapidity. Then, Steve had the absolute audacity to speak her secret out loud and she felt herself redden in embarrassment.

"Doubting or blaming yourself in any capacity is completely unacceptable," Steve ground out more harshly than he intended. He backpedaled quickly, forcing his voice to alter entirely down to a low tonal hum, just above that of a whisper so no one else might overhear him. "There are two distinct things wrong with that, Kono. One, you are a valuable member of _my_ team. _My_ team that needs you for what you have always possessed and contributed. And two, do not let that bastard win especially since he's not even on this earth anymore. He wasn't worth the air you breathed."

"But that's _why _Topher did what he did ...," she started to almost defend her abductor, turning to face Steve with tears in her eyes as he called out what she thought had been her private untold secrets despite having Doctor Santiago's confidence. She thought he was done and she opened her mouth as if to argue her case once more, but he grabbed her shoulders to give her a stern shake. He was undeniably annoyed and his testy expression stalled every single word she might have tried to say.

"No, you're entirely wrong. Cristo Reed always was what he was; it doesn't really have much to do with you at all. So, don't let what happened change who you are, Kono," Steve hissed out the challenge using nearly the same words as Doctor Carla Santiago. However, his anger suddenly carried that message with much more weight. "Besides, Danny isn't supposed to get stressed and if he even _thinks_ you're going down this ridiculous path of blame and doubt, he's going to blow a gasket. No matter what I say, that fact alone should tell you something."

The truth of how they all needed to manage Danny's fragile recovery made her visually cringe as she absorbed Steve's quiet anger. "God, don't even say that," Kono whispered, turning fully around to look at Danny where he stood on the lanai near Chin. He was blatantly staring back at her without apology. She unconsciously raked her fingers through her hair when she saw the traced buzz-cut along his scalp-line where the staples had just been removed. Ten days at elapsed since his release from the hospital. The sling was gone, his shoulder was healing and virtually all of his external bruises had healed. However, there were still major considerations in achieving a full recovery.

"It's been more than a week," Kono said worriedly. She sighed deeply, dropping her eyes from Danny's face to look up towards Steve. "His reports are decent, I know. But it's everything else we can't see."

"Fratelli has stressed repeatedly that he can't afford to get his blood pressure or heart rate up," Steve whispered, the level of his voice dropping considerably now and losing a great deal of its heat. His worry for both Kono and his partner ramped up to an almost palpable level. "Ramirez weighed in, too, and Danny simply has to stay on an even keel until all the doctors feel he's healed."

"He can't surf for months," Kono added. The doctors had forbidden their recovering patient to do anything but gentle, slow walks on flat unchallenging surfaces. Their restrictions were extreme and already a problem for Danny and his inherent nature to be active. Making matters worse, his larger than life personality would also provide the potential for more unfortunate issues like migraines and major setbacks in his convalescence. He would chafe as he felt better, yet still be denied the freedom to be as fully active as he thought he should be.

"Keeping him quiet now is hard enough," Steve said, stating the obvious. His offer to have Danny stay with him had been rejected just three days earlier once the staples had been removed from his friend's surgical site. Demanding space and privacy, Danny was back at his own house much to the entire team's varying levels of concern. "Keeping him stress-free for what's going to amount to many long weeks may be darn near impossible. He's going to go stir crazy first and then insist on visiting the office. One thing's going to lead to another ..."

"... and escalate," Kono finished the thought for Steve. Danny was banned from the office for the current foreseeable future, with light desk duty something Doctor Fratelli wouldn't even yet discuss. But he was already short-tempered at his poor level of stamina, limits placed on his activity, compounded by his body's need for daily naps.

"I'm not belittling your feelings," Steve suddenly whispered. He edged closer so that the could drape his arm over her shoulders. "What you're feeling is valid. I just want you to know that you're good at what you do. If you weren't, then you wouldn't be here. Not now, not ever."

"Thanks, boss," Kono said gratefully, glancing up at Steve with a wry grin. Once again, his words nearly mimicked those of Carla Santiago and she had to smile at the similarities which prompted an immediate understanding about being willing to _listen_. The soft noise she made to herself proved another thing and she literally rolled her eyes skywards because of her latest lapse.

"I guess I need to start now. With all this sage advice, I guess it's time I'd better listen to someone then, right?" She added the comment surreptitiously and entirely for her own benefit as Steve raised an inquiring eyebrow. He and Doctor Santiago were both right. She was wasting her time dwelling and needed to learn, but also move on to those things that mattered. With a rueful sounding puff of air, she considered the ocean again from a much different place inside her heart.

"Broken surfboards," Kono muttered thoughtfully. "I wonder." The worst of Danny's injuries hadn't even been surfing related and here she was focusing on the negative where she could be doing something decidedly more useful. Surfing wasn't even to blame for her abduction. She had a one time acquatinace on the North Shore that might be able to help with the broken board. And in helping, maybe she'd find a way to alleviate some of Danny's pending stresses.

Steve waited patiently as Kono's face finally brightened to a more acceptable expression. Whatever Kono had concluded in their brief discussion seemed to have taken her to a happier place, and he was distinctly relieved.

"I know someone that might be able to help us with the board," Kono said. "I trust him to at least tell us if it's worth fixing."

"So? This is good," Steve replied. He permitted the mysterious comment about sage advice and let it go to the wayside, choosing instead to ask about Danny's broken board. Kono seemed suddenly more at ease and he didn't believe that she was covering her feelings up. Each one of them blamed themselves for something in the frightening mess that had been rooted in the sickness which Topher Reid had festered for so many long years. However, none of them wished for the other to feel that way. The balancing act was a delicate one with each worrying about the other on top of attempting to tame their own feelings of self-blame.

"Yeah. I'll look into it right away," Kono confirmed, a reassuring smile sent his way as if reading his mind about herself. His approving grin was genuine as they turned together to return to the lanai. "If it pans out, I'll take Danny out there to meet him."

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	17. Chapter 17

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

_**Chapter Seventeen: No Kau a Kau ~ For Eternity**_

Kono wished her contact would come back to the Islands already. It was four o'clock in the morning and she was laying on her back in bed without a single sheet or blanket within reach. All the windows were open and the curtains pulled harshly to the sides so she could clearly see outside. From where she lay, the light from her kitchen leaked down the short hallway and pooled at the foot of her bed to illuminate the tall dresser. If she sat up, she'd be able to see herself in the mirror. She would also be within a fingers-breadth of her police-issued revolver and cell phone ... just in case.

It was a ludicrous thought - thinking something _bad_ might happen inside her own house - which she fully understood, but having these two items within reach settled her mind and allowed her to sleep at least the few hours that she did.

"Great," she muttered after glancing at her bedside clock. "Go to sleep." It was almost four thirty now and some of the earliest birds were beginning to chirp loudly in the yard despite the darkness outside. Kono's sigh was dismal as she flung her arm over her eyes. She felt like having a tantrum right there where say lay on her back. A screaming, shouting, all out bawling _tantrum_ because everything had gone wrong in her world since she had spoken to Steve on the beach. So much was so very wrong, Danny had even stopped asking about the surfboard. He'd evidently given up on her help and she couldn't blame him for thinking that way.

In a big way, she was making everything worse. However, if he did assume that she had either forgotten or was choosing not to do anything, Danny couldn't have been more wrong. Fixing that damnable thing had become her very personal mission.

An _obsession_ even, and she cringed at the thought which might throw her into the same realm as Topher Reid. Only her quiet confession to Doctor Santiago had reassured her that this one need was actually normal. A harmless desire that would eventually result in a great deal of good.

Since that time at Steve's, Kono only wanted one person involved and that person had been woefully unavailable. Makoa Hayashi, the best surfboard craftsman on the island. Makoa was decidedly from Kono's old world; in fact, any Hawaiian who could surf knew of the man's reputation. However, he wasn't a person even close to being in Danny's circle of awareness despite his introduction to surfing in general. Once Kono had honed in on and then refined her idea of engaging Makoa to help in fixing Danny's board, this man was the only one she wanted to work with.

She knew when he came back from his personal surfing expedition to Indonesia, that things would get back on track. She'd be able to help Danny, and therefore herself, to get on with things. Until that happened, she was sunk and stuck in place because no one on the circuit knew when Makoa might return from his trip. He'd been around since before she could remember and he had a reputation as a fine artisan, but he was also something of a vagabond. Makoa Hyashi was ageless, timeless and a bit of an eccentric. He had friends, but then again, he had none. Everyone knew of him, but no one really knew him. Still, Kono had her heart set on Makoa's help.

Her idea to engage the man was a good one; even Chin had agreed once he'd gotten over his initial shock of her preferred choice. Steve only knew the man's name and rumored reputation, which gave him equal pause. But other than Doctor Santiago knowing about her full plans, both men was confused by her demand that Makoa be kept a secret until she could personally set things up. Her odd silence on the subject was confusing not only everyone but of course, Danny, who was completely in the dark.

Her _silence_ was coming across as ambivalence but she didn't know what else to do because she was secretly _possessed_ to make it right.

"You _are_ obsessed, _lolo_! Now stop thinking about it and go to sleep!" Kono chastised herself out loud. Groaning under her breath, she rolled over and stuffed a pillow between her legs. While not precisely having nightmares, she did have an inordinate amount of trouble closing her eyes and staying soundly asleep. Cleared for work, she was engaged though and on time every day.

Work wasn't the issue though. Doctor Santiago was pleased with her visits and Kono was now only on the docket for a three month check in. _Danny was her issue_, along with her lack of desire to do anything except focus on getting his board repaired.

Chin thought she should get back out on the beach and carve up a few waves to blow off steam until Makoa returned. He insisted that Danny would probably like to go and watch regardless of what was not being said about surfing.

He also though she should try someone else on the island to help with fixing Danny's board as each day went by and Makoa stayed away. She had no coherent response about his push to get her onto the water. To his point about the latter though, there were plenty of eligible, talented surfboard craftsman and most with better availability than who she remained so steadfast on contacting.

Just the day before, Kono had driven out to the North Shore and taken the sandy track to Makoa's humble shack of a home. She had picked her way down his path to the rear of the house where his workshop sat looking neglected and unloved. Kono knew better than to judge this particular book by its ramshackle cover. Makoa was a perfectionist and the inside of his shed was a beautiful treasure trove of fine art dedicated solely to his trade. She had often thought the look a ploy to keep unwanted souls away, though the man was so very respected that would hardly be necessary.

No one would dare bother the legend in such a way, for an entire community's combined wrath.

The handwritten sign was still in the window dated nearly eight days earlier with only three solitary words. _Pa'a_ was Hawaiian for _closed_ and as such, the intended message was delivered twice for the ignorant. Any surfer worth their salt would know that _Uluwatu_ was the place to be for Balinese surfing.

_**Pa'a - ****Closed. Uluwatu. **_

The place felt deserted and almost creepy in its silence with only the sound of distant waves hitting the shore behind the property. There was a small beach there where one could try out a board and Kono almost felt the pull to continue down the trail. But in the end, she only did what she had come to do. No one visited Makoa unannounced; another one of his infamous traits was his dislike of unannounced visitors.

If you wanted Makoa Hayashi, one requested an audience or on the odd day, was invited into his home.

But Kono had been determined as she touted each jagged piece of Danny's broken board under her arm. She had brazenly left the pieces there, rocked up against the door of the shed with a note appealing his help upon his return.

Now though, as she lay in bed watching the seconds tick by on her bedside clock, Kono regretted her decision entirely. She closed her eyes tiredly for a time, wiling herself to forget the stupidity of her actions until her cell phone vibrated. It was just a quick vibratory trill and she frowned for the text message the movement indicated until she reached out and held the screen up high.

_'Tomorrow. 11 am. MH'_

"He's back," Kono gasped as she bolted upright, sending pillows flying to the floor. Her fingers flew seconds later to reply with the only thing she could think of.

_'I'll be there!'_

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

After four excruciating weeks of being virtually housebound, Danny had wrongly assumed that part-time desk duty would suffice. However, it was nothing more than another version of arrest. A situation made worse when he was left behind to sit idle to punch a few keys on the Smart table or offer a disembodied voice to his team out in the field. By the third day, he was bored and testy once again as he argued his enforced limitations.

As any one of them had predicted, Danny had grown steadily moodier as he felt better but the freedoms granted him scarcely kept pace. At that very moment, he was forcing himself to not be so very resentful as he watched Chin and Steve gather gear through the window of his office. Kono was standing in her own office, nervously checking her watch and seemingly upset by their team's need to rally for a potential confrontation down by the docks as backup for the local FBI contingent. Danny watched her and wanted to say something to coax her back into a more normal way of being. Evidently though, there was nothing he could say and he'd abandoned their once common ground of surfing and his broken board. According to Chin, Kono was fine and doing well. She only needed a bit more time to wrap her head around what had happened. Chin's comments were something which Danny needed to believe in, and so, he stayed quiet and waited for Kono to approach him even though he desperately wanted to do more.

"What?" Danny sighed the word out heavily, frowning when Steve suddenly strode towards where he sat. His partner took up the entire frame to block his view of Kono and what appeared to be a myriad of agitated expressions.

"Hey," Steve said, hiding an internal wince for the explosive mine he would likely be opening. "We'll be back by lunch, so hang tight."

"Try not to fling yourself from a window or off a pier," Danny muttered in reply, his chin fisted in the palm of his hand. "The grenades you stowed in the trunk are not toys, Steven."

"Okay, so you're not good with this," Steve remarked as he rubbed his face wearily. He visibly winced when Danny shrugged in response from where he sat behind his desk.

"Oh, and I'm sure you would be," Danny finally snarked back after waiting nearly too long to say anything at all. According to Doctor Fratelli, they were doing everything right because his patient hadn't suffered from blinding migraines, nausea or any multitude of unhappy side affects from rushing his recovery. But as Danny was proving, you can't miss what you never had, so he wasn't quite confident with the doctor's pleased reports. Fratelli's contented phrase of '_stay the course_' for yet another month had nearly unraveled the good already done.

"Come on, Danno, you'll be cleared before you know it," Steve moaned, failing completely to make his partner feel better. He completely understood Danny's feelings and agreed that he'd do no better if the roles were reversed. Because of that, he barely knew what to say since he also knew nothing would make Danny feel better.

"It's just a few more weeks," he said carefully, grimacing when Danny only stared blandly back.

Without answering, Danny's gaze flickered dolefully from Steve's face to Kono as she squeezed through the doorway. With eyes only for Danny at first, she smiled before holding her finger up to forestall their conversation. Then, she turned towards Steve with an eager expression.

"Something else has come up," Kono stressed meaningfully. "I can't go on this rendezvous, Steve. I need to handle something else this morning. Please." She was practically bouncing on her toes as her excitement argued with keeping her secret and doing her job. But she found herself rolling her eyes towards the heavens when Steve missed the clues she was clearly communicating.

"Now's not a good time," Steve's refusal of her request was instantaneous. "I know we're not primaries and this is going to be dull, but we need to offer the support. What's with you this morning? You should be geared up by now." He gestured widely to prove their scramble and yet Kono suddenly wouldn't budge.

"No, it _is_ a good time," Kono insisted. "It's perfect _because_ Five-0 isn't the primary." Her happy mood had dissolved an hour after arriving at the office when Steve had called them in to prepare for the FBI's last minute request. But as the time clocked closer to when Makua wanted to meet with her, the more she began to fret about her preferred commitment.

"You don't need me on this one, boss. Seriously." Glaring at Steve around a smile she tried to hide, she leaned forward to practically force him to remember what she had once told him. "North Shore ... that guy I told you about a few weeks ago? He's back on the Island," she whispered discreetly an inch froths nose. "I need the time. Please."

"What? Oh!" Steve said after a long pause. "The North Shore." His face smoothed out from its heavy consternation as he realized what Kono was talking about. Or rather, _who_ she was referring to. "That guy Makoa _something_?"

"Exactly. He wants me there at 11 sharp," Kono replied casually. "I need to do this; I need to see him." She glanced to where Danny was sitting, registering the fact that he was barely listening to their chatter. An idle but repetitive _clack_ meant he was morosely upending a pen end-over-end idly on his desk. Her wry grin broke free at that point as she turned her back completely to him to round on Steve. "You know that he's been impossible to nail down. But, Makoa's got time to see me this morning. _And_ since it's just to talk, I was wondering if Danny could come along?"

Through the amused change in Steve's expression, she knew that Danny had perked up upon mention of his name. When Steve gave a sketchy nod for her to continue, she had trouble not turning round to look at Danny, herself. Instead, she folded her arms sternly across her chest as if purposefully arguing for Danny's participation.

"I'm just going to talk to the man, Steve," Kono intentionally elaborated on her point. "There's no reason why Danny can't join me instead of hanging here alone in the office while you and Chin assist the FBI. What do you say?"

"Yes!" Danny burst out, instantly standing from his desk and blatantly daring anyone to deny him. "I say yes; Steve has no say. Zero. None whatsoever." He didn't care what, why, how or who this person might be to Kono, but he was taking the opportunity to leave the doldrums of his current existence.

"Now wait a minute! I haven't agreed to anything yet!" Steve dead-panned his argument. But he was soon stumbling backwards as Danny rudely pushed past him with Kono on his heels. "Danny!"

"I'll take care of him, boss," Kono chuckled softly when Steve grabbed her arm to stop her in the hallway. "Normal, calm activity. No lifting or exertion. Got it ... and you know that he does, too. He's been more than careful."

"Just _remind_ him," Steve pleaded. Of course he now remembered Kono's original plans to introduce Danny to the well-known craftsman. Makoa Hayashi was one one of the very best when it came to fine custom boards. If anything, being asked to fix a mediocre busted piece of commercial fiberglass for a blonde haole, would be well beneath the man. That fact also concerned Steve and since Kono would know that already, he wondered what was really up her sleeve when it came to introducing his volatile partner to a potentially equally acerbic legend.

"Kono?" He whispered. "Are you sure about this?" Unable to hide a certain worry about the man's reputation and Danny's positive recovery thus far, Steve couldn't help questioning all of that before they parted ways.

"Steve! It's going to be fine; I swear we're just going to talk." She laughed then, her relief at getting in to see the famous man was now broadcasted across her face. She hadn't been this happily animated for weeks and Steve knew that the short trip would do both of his friends some modicum of good regardless of the outcome. "I won't let Makoa eat him alive. I promise!"

"Thanks for that," Steve muttered as he pointed his finger remonstratively in Danny's direction as a warning to heel to doctor's orders while his friend loitered impatiently in the outer hallway. He shook his head in mock disgust when Danny's middle finger questionably rose in kind to scratch what was a likely a purely non-existent itch along the bridge of his nose.

However, not quite hidden behind Danny's splayed fingers was a genuine smile.

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	18. Chapter 18

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

_**Chapter Eighteen: No Kau a Kau ~ For Eternity**_

"So, who is this guy?" Danny asked as he slid into Kono's car. "What are we meeting with him about?" He was so relieved to get out of the office and on the road to actually do something constructive, he was practically oozing with untapped energy. In heat of the sun, which had made the interior of the car a sweltering hotbox, he already knew that he needed to force himself to relax. He felt better than good but that could change in an instant with the slightest of stresses. He'd learned that the hard way by over-doing simple house chores and earning Doctor Fratelli's seething anger. As he had been so reminded, his full recovery would likely take up to two months, during which he would continue to feel fatigued for up to eight weeks after surgery.

"He's an old friend that I haven't seen in a very long time and I have a few questions for him," Kono said blandly. She glanced over before pulling out onto the main road while snorting with laugher when she spied his jouncing knee. "Calm down, Danny. Makoa is just an ordinary man and he hasn't done anything wrong; at least not yet."

"I'm all kinds of calm. If anything, I'm too calm," Danny replied smartly. He smirked at her tolerant laugh, instantly pleased that whatever this little adventure was had already perked up her spirits. "So, tell me. He's an old friend from where ... and when?"

"From ... before," Kono offered, keeping her smile but the reply extremely short. She bit her lip to keep from laughing again, knowing that her attitude would only serve to encourage him. Seconds later, he was twisting in the passenger seat to pester her with even more questions.

"Ah, I see. From .. _before_," Danny said. His amused tone readily accepted her challenge where she might try to not reveal her secret too early. "We're playing a game! Dare I ask from before _what_?"

"Nope. It's not worth it," Kono shrugged, baiting him intentionally. "You'll see when we get there." Her attitude was perplexing as she looked his way, laughing when she saw his baffled expression. "I want to talk to Makoa and I'm not sure what exactly's going to happen after we see him." That was as far as she truly wanted to go and her face must have expressed her genuine desire to put a halt to the questioning.

"Fine," Danny chuffed in exasperation, tapping his knee impatiently. He looked out the window, barely seeing the landscpae as it hummed by but his brain was actively whirling at the possibilities. "It's about my surfboard isn't it." His statement was just that ... a formal declaration full of a loaded expectation and Kono's instantaneous reaction proved him right.

"Danny! No guessing allowed!" Kono had to choke back her laughter, one hand smacking the steering wheel in protest. "You're acting as if you're five."

"Uh huh," Danny copied her original bland tone. "Sounds like I'm better than warm. What's his name again? Makoa _who_?"

"Hayashi," Kono murmured, shaking her head in frustration. ""Makoa Hayashi. You don't know him. Yet."

Completely intrigued, Danny smiled broadly as he settled comfortably back in his seat. He was incredibly pleased and as he glanced over to Kono again, he could easily see that she was battling another bout of laughter.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Makoa Hayashi stared at the newcomers from underneath eyebrows so bushy and whitely bleached from sun and saltwater, he knew they likely couldn't tell if his eyes were closed or open. One he knew quite well because he had, after all, invited her back to his shop based upon her letter. The other - _a blonde haole_ who screamed _mainlander_ and _cop_ simultaneously - he had no clue about and he was instantly perturbed with the young woman he'd agreed to see. But the man's presence gave credence to the broken board left by Kono Kalakaua and now, Makoa was beginning to understand the potential significance of the as yet undisclosed, favor.

Even though Kono was no longer a full-time competitor, she was_ o'hana_. Rumors, both valid and invalid, had run through their tightly-knit surfing community worse than a wildfire. Makoa had certainly heard sketchy details about Cristo Reed, what he had done, and then ultimately of his fate. He had heard about Kono's abduction in snippets from various sources; some had been boastful, others were stunned or heartbroken. He had discounted much of this idle talk along the way, yet one thing always remained true: rumors were often at least valid at the root of their very foundation.

As he now reconsidered Kono's note, the broken board left on his doorstep, and her prompt arrival with a cop who had a fairly new scar healing over his temple, Makoa knew something else was going to be asked of him. He snorted softly under his breath at her audacity and was impressed once again. Even as a child, Kono had been brave and quite forthright. Fighting a raw knowing smile, Makoa would now need to decide the overall benevolence of his response. However, he wanted to know more and his final answer would require work on their combined parts.

"I didn't think that was _your_ board," Makoa drawled rudely to Kono as if Danny barely existed until he jutted a scruffy white-ridged jaw in the haole's direction. "Is that why you brought _him_ along?"

Makoa didn't move as the cop studied him from top to bottom. The blonde cop noticeably blanched when he saw what remained of the three fingers on Makoa's left hand. He did snort in amusement though when the blue eyes settled on the scarred divots of ruined muscle tracing his left upper thigh. He'd gotten such a reaction for as long as he could remember and it no longer bothered him. In fact, the old grievous wounds were those of a warrior and he showed them off proudly. Wearing shorts and forever bare-foot, Makoa had lost his vanity long ago.

He grinned at the haole's discomfort, intentionally flashing a tobacco-stained tooth before hawking a wad of thickly-stained brown saliva into the sand.

"Shit," Danny muttered under his breath just loud enough for Kono to hear. Makoa Hayashi was a big man, older but certainly quite fit. He struck an intimidating picture for someone who didn't know him, and it was obvious that Hayashi did so intentionally. "Who _is_ this guy?"

"Hayashi-san!" Kono grinned happily, almost skipping forward to respectfully hug the old man. Behind her, Danny had stalled in place but she clearly heard his sarcastic '_seriously?'_ repeated twice in a row when she dared approach the intimidating character. "Thank you for seeing me! How was your trip to Uluwatu?"

"_Ulu_ -what?" Danny coughed loudly not realizing that he was momentarily being ignored during their mutual greeting. He didn't notice because he was already distracted. Gazing upwards, his eyes were widening in wonder as they were drawn to the ancient chewed-out board hanging the long breadth of the shed's roof. If the vintage balsa surfboard had been bobbing in the sea, the entire left-hand side would have been a jagged wreck of wood and splinters. He realized then that Makoa Hayashi had literally been attacked by a shark and what he was now seeing was the remnants of a near deadly struggle; at least for the man.

Awe-struck, Danny looked from the impressively damaged board to the equally damaged man before him. With his remaining three fingers splayed across his bicep for all the world to see, Makoa had folded his arms across his wide chest, waiting calmly for the various clues to sink home and firmly into the mainlander's head with utmost patience.

"He's still out there. Somewhere," Makoa chuffed sarcastically and solely for Danny's benefit. With a mockingly grand gesture, he stepped to the side to hold the door to his workshop open wide. "Well, come on in and have a look around. I don't have all day and it seems we have something to talk about."

"No, thanks," Danny replied quickly, a pathetic look aimed towards Kono who had yet to cease smiling with an abandoned glee. He leaned forward at the waist in surprise as she disappeared blithely into the artisan's domain, leaving him entirely on his own near her car.

"Kono!" He called after her as she abandoned him to face Hayashi alone who seemed to straddle the darkened doorway to his workshop like the very shark who'd attacked him. "Kono? Seriously? I'd like to actually go home tonight and not get carved up into little pieces of chum by Ernest Hemingway gone sideways."

Danny smiled sickly at his new host, but refused to move a single foot forward. He blinked in concern and lost more color as he realized his words had been fully digested and were being weighed. Mentally, Danny chastised himself for not entirely thinking before speaking his mind as Hayashi seemed to grow ten feet taller.

"Ah, sorry. I ... _ah_ ... didn't mean anything bad by that," Danny flinched through his apology. Hayashi was definitely standing square now, his shoulders impressive as they blocked the way into his workshop. His starkly white bushy eyebrows shielded his eyes like a furry helmet and for the life of him, Danny couldn't read the man's posture or facial expression.

There was a long pregnant pause during which Danny shifted uncomfortably in the blazing sun. He wondered if he could graciously escape to the sanctity of Kono's small car without too much trouble. But he didn't dare move as Makoa Hayashi cocked his head quizzically. An uncomfortable dearth of any sound continued until an odd chortled gasp emanated from the older man's belly. It broke the quiet and sounded like a pair of worn-out bellows causing Danny to pale even more where he stood frozen.

"_Chum_? Hemingway?" Makoa's laugh was loud then. "_Sideways_?" Another rusty sound much like unused hinges matured into a deeper bass guffaw which brought tears to the dark-brown eyes and reddened his face. As Makoa dissolved in laughter, Kono's peeked her head back out from the workshop, her smile now threatening to disappear.

"What happened?" She asked worriedly. But Danny's mouth only gaped open in shock just as he took a hesitant step backwards. "Danny, what did you say?"

"Oh no," Makoa strode the four steps it took to close the gap between himself and the haole. He wiped his tearing eyes as he continued to laugh in appreciation. He was taller up close, thick-chested and he certainly towered over the smaller detective. As the glare from the sun was suddenly blocked from his face, Danny flinched as Makoa's three-fingered hand fell companionably on his shoulder to insistently propel him forward. The man's thumb gripped the ridge-line of his clavicle while his remaining index and middle fingers dug into the back of his skin with a relentlessly strong pressure.

"Now, you have to come in. No one has made me laugh this hard in years!" Makoa chuckled while guiding Danny into the workshop. Once through the door, he waited for the man's eyes to acclimate to the difference in light. Then, the resulting stunned pleasurable gasp about the pristine shop made Makoa grin proudly.

"This is impressive," Danny commented. He relaxed when he realized the interior was brighter and airier than he'd anticipated. The smell was an odd earthy mix of polish, wax and sanded wood. "It's so ... _big_. Clean ... and it's absolutely perfect." The outside of the shed looked ridiculously ramshackle and rundown. It hid the truth of its rambling interior with its expensive materials and equipment. A variety of surfboards in an array of shapes, sizes and readiness neatly ranged the walls. Further towards the back and somewhat sectioned off, Danny could just see where two sat ready on sawhorses, apparently in the midst of being created.

Still chuckling to himself, Makoa watched as the blonde haole rocked to a stunned halt in front of his own broken board placed in one corner of the workshop. He looked from Makoa to Kono with an unabashed mixture of embarrassment and confusion. Makoa tried not to smile at the man's discomfiture because he'd not known that Kono had indeed already dropped the board off.

He waited patiently as Danny walked back to stand before him measuring him now eye for eye. Again no one spoke, and the lull gave Makoa more time to consider the broken board and the healing side of the haole's head where he clearly could see the scar. The hair there was just growing back and it would eventually cover the thin white line, yet the injury seemed suspect and wholly unrelated to the broken surfboard.

"What happened?" Makoa nodded once, inquiring if Danny had been injured while surfing when he was interrupted. "How ..."

"No. I broke my _board_ surfing," Danny said curtly. "Not the head; that came later. From ... the _incident _in the parking lot." He looked meaningfully towards Kono who was now giving them room to get to know each other. Sensing that the mood had already improved, she was examining a line of finished boards stacked along the farthest wall.

"Cristo," Makoa barely breathed the name out in such a way it sounded as a curse. He glanced once towards Kono to see if she'd heard, but her back was to him. He sniffed almost angrily under his breath as he easily put the pieces together. "So, much of what I heard then was true? He attacked you both after your accident?" A sneer now curved his lips. One of anger and absolute disgust and Danny immediately changed his mind about the intimidating Makoa Hayashi.

"Yes," Danny affirmed equally as softly. "I should have been more careful on the way in; but there was something ... _off_. Though the board doesn't look like it; I _do_ know better. At least most times; I messed up that day."

Makoa's jaw jutted out as he considered the implications of Danny's rueful comments and explanation. The head injury was severe and the cop was still recovering. Both people before him felt responsible for the other. But the blonde haole already looked tired and yet, was game to continue. He was an interesting juxtaposition of mainlander and surfer. An odd mixture of cop and yet something so much more which fit Kono's world of law enforcement and_ o'hana._

"You're not working?" Makoa asked astutely. He let the unspoken gaps fill themselves in; not all the details were important. He could sense the natural ingrained energy held at bay inside the smaller man and pursed his lips in consideration. The man was growing fatigued and yet eager to get his normal life back on track. Kono was eager to help him do just that and Makoa remained intrigued. "How much longer? What are your restrictions?"

"Another month of desk duty," Danny replied bitterly. If he was surprised by the personal aspect of the questions, he didn't seem to mind. "But much longer to resume normal activities and especially surfing or contact sports of any kind. I think Kono brought me to meet you to see if you might be able to fix my board?"

"_Hmph_," Makoa made the harsh sound in the back of his throat. He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully towards Kono who continued to studiously ignore them as if finding his workshop a remarkable place to wander and poke. And it was; yet not that intriguing to the initiated, of which, Kono certainly was one of those long indoctrinated.

The haole - _Danny_ - was duly impressed and unable to hide his interest from looking into every nook and cranny. Now, Makoa knew what Kono wanted of him and he shook his head at the bold but unvoiced request. The broken board was of average quality but could be repaired. It was easy, menial work that required virtually none of his talent except for his ability to impart knowledge.

She could have asked anyone to fix the board. Therefore, she was discreetly asking Makoa Hayashi for _more_. Something very unique and at least special to her ... and to her friend. And so, what would be the harm in that?

Makoa decided the answer was, of course, none at all. As_ o'hana_, this request was critical to her though and he could understand the private need. He _understood_ her connection to the haole and the dangerous thread which connected them all to Cristo Reed and so, he didn't require any more convincing.

He remained quiet as Danny moved away to gaze in awe at the custom board which had recently been finished for an Australian client. The board was a stunning work of artisanship and its surface would soon boast a well-buffed, shined sheen. He watched as Danny went to touch the board and then changed his mind entirely, wandering instead to respectfully stare at two completed custom models ready to be picked up by their new owners.

With what could be taken as a long-suffering sigh, Makoa folded his arms across this chest and waited for Kono to notice him. When she looked up and returned to stand before him, a plea echoed in her eyes and Makoa nodded in agreement.

"Yes, alright. I'll teach him."

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	19. Chapter 19

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Notes: **_and ... **GO!** _

_Warning: the bunny is now loose! _Did I ever say this was written at ten chapters? Written, done, tied with a bow? And WHAT number is this chapter exactly? Yeah, just what I thought ... stupid rabbits.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

_**Chapter Nineteen: No Kau a Kau ~ For Eternity**_

As far as Danny was concerned, Kono's idea to repair his board via an introduction to Makoa Hayashi had been a brilliant one. Though he was only on his third visit to the workshop and he knew that Makoa was taking an excruciatingly slow pace to cater to his questionable stamina levels, he was no longer entirely bored by the enforced restrictions of his recovery. He was engaged and interested enough in the process or with Makoa's more detailed projects to actually be enjoying himself. The distraction was timely, not too physical and incredibly different in every way imaginable. Cleared to drive, the brief morning visits also left him enough freedom and energy to put in a few afternoon hours behind his desk at the office.

Danny quickly saw that Makoa was an artistic genius despite only the three odd fingers which remained on his left hand. _Well, two and a roughly one half,_ because Danny had assumed all three fingers were at least intact. However, he hadn't been entirely correct since Makoa's index finger had been severed by a jagged tooth at the first joint. And as Danny promptly learned through the man's caustic humor, Makoa thought it all a big joke played on him by an unforgiving universe.

_"This,_ "Makoa had happily leered at Danny as he waggled the three digits in the air before thrusting his thumb skywards. _"Only this is important. Without a thumb, a man is lost."_

He had grinned. Danny had nodded in agreement, watching while he put the finishing touches on a custom board that would be ready for pickup that same day. The office phone had rung before they could say more, and once Makoa had run off to answer the call, things had gone to the proverbial hell in a hand-basket.

Makoa was nowhere in sight and Danny was faced with the oddity of an altercation as he stood nose to chest with a heavily tattooed native Hawaiian man.

"Who are you, _haole_?" The whispered threat had come from behind as Danny continued to remove the wax buildup from his board. Cleaning it was a prerequisite for any next step in the repair process, so Danny had naturally resumed his menial job until Makoa came back from his call. The task was benign enough, tedious even, and something Danny could manage safely during his short two-hour block of time at the workshop.

"What!" Danny jolted in surprise, whirling around to face the brawny Hawaiian man who was roughly in his late twenties. On automatic pilot, his hand strayed down to a non-existent weapon and in the end, Danny was left fisting the simple scraping tool he held high between them.

"What are you crazy? Sneaking up on somebody like that!" He scolded in a near friendly tone as he sized up his adversary and recognized trouble. The tatts were particularly gang-related and the one which Danny identified on the man's right hand had definitely been done in prison. Between his thumb and forefinger, five dots were equally spaced to represent time spent behind bars. The four black dots on the outside represented four walls, and the fifth, placed in the center, signified the prisoner himself.

"I said, who are you?" The stranger ignored Danny's dismal attempt at normal conversation, enunciating each of his own words with a slight native accent. His eyes were narrow, angry and already full of hatred as he took up any remaining personal space between them. There was so much animosity leaking from the man's very being, Danny worried that he'd already been pegged as a cop - just as he'd labeled him a gang banger - despite the plain cut-off shorts and t-shirt he was wearing. Their two worlds would never have a chance of meeting in the middle.

"Hayashi doesn't like trespassers and he sure as hell doesn't give lessons to stupid _haoles,_" the man sneered as a threat. "Where is the old man?"

"He's in the office," Danny said calmly. "He's here if you want to see him. But do you have an appointment because Makoa also doesn't appreciate unannounced visitors."

"I see. Makoa is it?" The young man purred dangerously. He snorted softly under his breath, a bit perplexed by Danny's familiarity with the craftsman and apparent refusal to back down or show him an expected level of fear. "Not such a dumb _haole_ after all. Or, maybe you are and just don't know it yet?"

Danny winced as the man's forefinger drilled into his collarbone and the dangerous sneer deepened when he cocked his head to view the pinked, healing scar in his hairline. "What happened here?" He chuckled rudely, peering even closer towards the healing wound.

Since it wasn't really a question which required a truthful answer, Danny held both his tongue and his ground as he automatically considered his best tactical defense moves as the situation began to escalate. However in all reality, he couldn't afford the danger of a fist fight in his still somewhat fragile condition. His timing would be off and his reflexes much too slow. Making matters worse, he would need to fight much too carefully because if anything or anyone managed to hit his head, he'd be in a world of trouble.

"Broken board," the Hawaiian scoffed around a lop-sided sardonic smile. "Matches perfectly to a broken head ... does it still hurt?" The finger which had poked Danny's shoulder now dared to rise up as if to trace the scar, but as it connected with the first bristle of hair, Danny snapped.

"You don't want to do that," he hissed angrily, the scraper forgotten and clattering to the floor as his hands wrapped around the man's wrist to twist. Almost too easily, the arm bent willingly to follow the turn of the joint and the man laughed as he intentionally softened his knees to fold in upon himself. The Hawaiian's offensive maneuver was skilled and left Danny with little choice to fight as sinewy muscles bunched reactively until a large shape descended between them, ominous in its sudden appearance.

"Back off," Makoa ground out as he physically separated the men and rounded on the stranger. Danny's grip was broken by Makoa's sheer size and strength and he stumbled backwards, falling heavily into the saw horse behind him and sending his broken board thudding loudly to the floor.

He knew already that Makoa Hayashi had a vile temper. The older man had a very real reputation for a hair-trigger rage which he wasn't afraid to channel into a strong fist at the drop of a hat. That gnarled fist did so instantly as it connected soundly with the Hawaiian's jaw to send him sinking into the concrete floor. There was a loud slap as the body hit the ground, but Danny cringed when a maniacal laugh emanated upwards.

"Why are you here?" Unperturbed by the burst of cackled laughter, Hayashi was scooping the intruder back up by the front of his shirt as he snarled his question. The sound of ripping material compounded his anger and provided more testament to the lethal strength of his remaining three fingers. Held high, his right hand was ready again to fell the stranger. "You were told never to come back. Why are you here?"

Hayashi was seething in rage, his face suffused with blood and his hands shaking uncontrollably. Everything about Hayashi's very being communicated the danger the Hawaiian had brought to his workshop as his body effectively blocked the space between Danny and the man he now physically held up on his toes.

"No, you tell me first. Why is _he_ here, old man? Making friends with white cop _haoles_?" The Hawaiian countered with questions of his own instead of answering the older man. Nearly as broad of shoulder as Hayashi, his own fury was a violently matched twin to the older man's as his hands rose up defensively. "What makes him good enough? Money? Something else?"

"Shit. Makoa," Danny muttered when the two big men squared off as if to finally come to a real war of blows and he yanked out his cell phone intending to place an urgent call to HPD dispatch. But Danny was forced to hesitate when Hayahshi spared him a disapproving glance. On the heels of the demand, Danny literally winced as the older man's eyes disappeared behind their white crown of hair. In his short time around the craftsman, he knew at least that particular look and knew imminently that something else was indeed going to happen. It was a look that the stranger also seemed to recognize and though he sneered derisively, he instantly deflated.

"Fine, old man," the Hawaiian hissed with an odd laugh. "Keep your little friend; but this _thing_ between you and me ... it isn't over." The spread fingers and apparent submission were tactics which Danny knew could be inherent lies; but as Hayashi tensed even more, Danny realized that he recognized the same thing. Hayashi was far from fooled by the possibility of a game being played, so perhaps even, he'd learned it the hard way once before.

"Leave! Get out!" Hayashi shouted his demands just once. The thick cords of his neck were prominent as they pulsed and Danny watched in shock as Hayashi literally picked the younger Hawaiian up by his shirt and bodily removed him though the back of the workshop. He aimed for the rear door which was obviously the same door the unwanted visitor had entered through. The sounds of the scuffle were loud and out of place in the workshop, making the entire event almost sacrilegious. Wisely remaining where he was and still strangling his cell phone, Danny regained his equilibrium, idly rubbing the irritated section of hair though he'd been barely touched. He stayed on edge and considered placing a call to HPD despite what he'd been instructed while he listened and watched the two through the open doorway as they exchanged heated words.

Minutes passed and Danny began to sweat, his stress level rising when Hayashi broke his stance to physically shove the stranger to the hard-packed dirt of the yard. Expecting this to be the point of no return, Danny's fingers splayed over his phone and he almost hit the send key until everything simply ended. Without actually coming to it, the stranger had once again deflated. He'd taken the one punch to the jaw, accepted his removal from the workshop, and now seemingly absorbed the hard shove to the ground.

Oddly though, Danny realized that he'd not once touched Makoa despite the verbal sparring match or the oftentimes similarly raised pair of fists. Danny watched as the younger man got to his feet, whispered something to Makoa and simply walked away.

For a long period, Hayashi stood outside his building doing nothing but clenching and unclenching his fists as he stared blindly into the distance. Understanding that Makoa needed the time to calm himself, Danny waited where he was unable to do a single thing until he was offered an explanation.

"What was that about? Who is he?" Danny asked cautiously as Makoa finally re-entered the workshop. He asked carefully because the anger had far from subsided. Silence met each and every one of his questions or suggestions and Danny panted breathlessly though he'd essentially done nothing. His heart thudded almost too wildly as the heat in the workshop suddenly seemed to be too much to manage. "You should have let me call HPD. At least let me file a report ... talk to HPD and get this on file."

"He won't be back if he knows what's good for him," Makoa finally deigned to offer a verbal opinion as he pawed sweat from his face. He stepped forward, examining Danny from head to toe and staring much too long at the healing scar. It took longer for him to be satisfied that Danny was unscathed before he heaved in a deeper breath. His hands were still trembling and he appeared to be annoyed by that fact.

"You'll do nothing because I don't _need_ the police to manage my personal business; especially not for the likes of him," Makoa growled out. "This has nothing to do with you; stay out of it." The words were brazen and now it was Danny's turn to stay silent.

He did frown though, glancing up to examine a completely unreadable expression. The older man was shaking, yet much of the fury had now dissipated and his eyes were calmer pools of deep brown. He seemed better, however he shared nothing and Danny didn't trust the external demeanor. Now on day three, he still couldn't figure Makoa Hayashi out, nor read his choleric mood swings.

"He did threaten you." Danny simply couldn't stay quiet for long driven as he was to voice his concerns. "You might want to reconsider filing a report. I mean, you're far out here ... alone. It's not entirely safe." The unexpected visit had unsettled Danny and brought his ingrained habits to help to the fore despite the way Hayahsi nearly stopped breathing and a look of displeasure rekindled in the man's eyes.

"Makoa, please reconsider," Danny softly urged. He remained even-toned, but his inability to avoid the subject and keep his unwanted council was like showing a very large red flag to an extremely agitated mature bull.

"Go home." Makoa spat out in a temper, standing tall and taking a full step back from where Danny was standing. He understood that the detective meant well, but he had no desire to discuss or pursue any of his suggestions. In fact, sweat speckled the recovering man's brow and beaded his neck. Danny's face was flushed and he was still breathing uncomfortably. He used all of those things to finalize his wishes because they'd both had enough and Makoa, himself, was in a distinctly foul mood.

"We're done for the day. Go home; rest." With only a few feet separating them, Danny could easily see the anger returning in the dark brown eyes. Anger and yet something else which he couldn't quite define.

"Just like that?" Danny tried to change his tone as way of apology. He tried to do something to help settle the older man and calm his mind, but Makoa was utterly done with talking for the time being. "Makoa, I'd like to help ... if you want ... to talk. Are you sure?"

"Don't bother coming back tomorrow either," Makoa stated with a harsh vehemence. Each of Danny's offers were refused and his audience for the morning - as well as that of the next day - over and canceled as Makoa's thick chin jutted belligerently towards the front of the workshop. "You're tired and need a break from this. I also have another commitment and won't be here."

"Tomorrow? But ...," Danny blurted his one last objection in surprise but he was faced with the man's back as he was summarily dismissed.

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	20. Chapter 20

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Notes: **my apologies for such a delay. This one has baffled the muse completely to call for a complete rewrite of these last major chapters. MANY, many rewrites so I hope this keeps the story moving in an interesting direction. Ongoing thanks to KQ and CinderH for an insane amount of patience and requests for re-reads.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

_**Chapter Twenty: No Kau a Kau ~ For Eternity**_

Devon Hayashi walked away from his father's property, but he didn't go far. He loitered in a beachside copse of tangled scrub, thick brush and driftwood. Precisely the same place where he once sought refuge and privacy to think as a boy. Minutes ago, he had truly forced himself not to react to his father's wrath, yet now his fists tightened in anger. Part of him wanted to go back, try again, while another argued for a feral violence.

"It's not going to work," Devon said out loud as he fought temptation to resume the confrontation and instead, sank down to sit idle in the sand. He had to work at un-peeling his fingers from the palms of his hands, disgusted by their tense muscular tremble. His next effort focused on regaining control of his breathing in order to make his heart ease to a more comfortable speed and not something he could literally feel in his neck.

"It will never work or change," he muttered regretfully to himself. He'd come back to explain things to his father now that he'd satisfied his prison term. He wanted the chance and had managed to swallow what remained of his own pride, but his father's had evidently never mellowed. Worse, instead of keeping his own temper and putting into practice all of those words, phrases and explanations he'd rehearsed for hours on end, Devon had instantly fallen into his own defensive habits.

He had paid for more than his share of life's dues. In spades - and if his old man had actually listened to him just once, he'd learn that his son had paid for his father as well by diverting trouble. However, the adage that one could pay for the sins and move on was a lie because here he was free and yet, he still had nothing. He was technically free, but still trapped.

"Old fool of a man," Devon bitterly voiced into the sandy ground. He had expected to see only his father, not a blonde _stranger_. Still, he didn't truly care about the cop; though knowing his father's eccentricities, it was odd to find him working alone in the shop. Despite that and at the end of the day, the cop really wasn't of his concern. Only his father certainly was, plus Devon's own longing to be heard. But as always, it wasn't ever the right time and his father was determined to be deaf to him regardless; so that only left one person for him to see.

His mother.

Even though she wasn't necessarily what he wanted - or needed - that fact left her to do what she'd always been prepared to do: provide unconditional love and understanding. She would intervene between the two and soothe with calming words. No matter the issue or what Devon might have done, Iris Hayashi would be happy to see her son. It was precisely for all of those reasons, she wouldn't be enough. Even though he was desperate to see her, he hadn't wanted his return to hold ulterior motives _for her._

This time, he didn't want to ask for her help and yet, because of his father's reaction, he was forced to seek her out as if he were still a child. At nearly thirty years old, he was still unable to conquer his father head-on.

Devon checked the time on his watch and made a disgruntled face about what he had to do next. He hadn't wished to act the helpless boy by bringing his mother into the mix. He'd hoped for more from his father and sighed deeply in resignation. On a sunny morning, she'd be at the flower shoppe and likely readying special orders for the day. At the peacefulness of the thought, Devon tried to smile, but failed.

"Damn it," Devon cursed mildly under his breath as he glanced in the direction of his father's property and then back out across the ocean. He'd been away from Oahu for nine years and jailed for the last four. At first, he'd been excited to finally reach _home_. He'd missed the sun and the heat where all the smells and sights were so familiar. But he'd likely been wrong and there was probably no reason to believe in or hope for a warm homecoming for him. Though Devon didn't truly want to face it, his father's irate response to his return proved he had no family or a _home_ to return to.

He knew his mother would smile, burst into tears at the mere sight of him, and then do her very best to help. But that wasn't what he craved. Devon had fought the feelings for too many years and it was as if he'd been trying to fight the very universe. As if he could already hear her words in his head, his mother was going to deny it that very day, but Devon Hayashi didn't belong anywhere.

With that grievous thought settled in his soul, he gathered himself together and left his old hiding place. He would pay what would become a spineless visit to her flower shoppe and simply be happy to see his mother. He would permit her to coddle and welcome him in her own special right. After though, he knew he'd still feel hollow and empty as she vainly pushed to merge her family back together.

She would fail, too. He would then be forced to commit one final personal act. What would come next might take him a day or two to finalize, but he only had one thing left to do after seeing her. No matter what his mother might try to say, his father's reaction had helped to put the finishing touches to plans which he'd hoped to avoid.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

No one was in the office when Danny got there. He was somewhat relieved because he should have gone directly home based upon how he was feeling. The drive back from the North Shore was long and added to an emotional stress. Making matters worse, the altercation and Makoa's abrupt dismissal combined to such a degree to where he simply couldn't turn his brain off. He needed to know more and was driven to concoct a series of likely and unlikely scenarios as he drove mile after mile back to headquarters.

So now, without having to look in a mirror, he knew that he looked precisely the way he felt. He was sweating, nauseous and exceedingly tired. Makoa had been upset and angry, yet he also had noticed Danny's growing fatigue. Any one of these factors alone would support the point that he should be home, _resting_.

He wanted five minutes on the computer though. Just five fast minutes to pacify a few of his contrived hypotheses and so, he paused in his office to take enough time to swallow pain medication for the body-wide ache he knew would soon descend. Then, he focused on the Smart table to initiate his top three scenarios on who the young Hawaiian could be by focusing on Makao Hayashi, first. He almost felt bad about punching the first few keys; guilty for looking up Makoa's personal information, and then downright discourteous for what his search might do to Kono's trust.

What he found was predictable at first: the bare specifics of dates, jobs, residences, and lack of police record. Makoa was precisely whom he said he was and Danny sighed in relief. No record, a better than modest existence, plus a respected member of the community. The man was an icon and a legend amongst the surfing community. He had a wife of over forty years and she, Iris, funny enough to coincide with her beautiful name, was a florist. But Danny was partly wrong as he continued to read and he groaned loudly.

"Car accident," Danny visibly winced when he realized that Iris Hayashi was deceased. Based upon the dated records, Iris had perished eighteen months earlier after a car accident on a busy highway during a rain storm. The accident was just that - a frightful turn of events that had left Makoa an unfortunate widower. The news was of course very sad and seemed to qualify some of the reasons behind Makoa's well-known temper and tendencies towards being a loner.

However, the next step in Danny's search confirmed the existence of one very troubled son and therein, Danny's first potential scenario began to ring true as mug shot after mug shot filled the overhead LCD panels. He knew he'd touched the tip of an iceberg. Something dangerous which bound and simultaneously shattered Hayashi's family. But he was too tired to continue as he stared, squinty-eyed at the young man he'd met that morning.

"Devon Hayashi, felon," Danny said to himself. "Unbelievable." He felt a pang of remorse for the elder Hayashi and what was now an understandable hot-blooded outburst of a father's wrath. Danny was physically unable to do more though as he literally closed his eyes when the brightness of the screens drilled an uncomfortable pounding pain through his eyes. His five minute vow was now closer to the thirty minute mar and simply put: he felt miserable. With a morning fraught with more stress than he'd ever anticipated, he better understood Doctor Fratelli's cautionary advice about the care needed during his recovery.

Having kicked in as he focused on his research, the medication he'd taken had merely made him more tired. The pills had settled with a sour ache in his empty stomach but weren't quite making a dent in the thud of persistent pain encasing his head. He was about to cross a line he didn't wish to test as his stomach twisted and threatened him with an extreme upheaval even though he'd accidentally skipped lunch.

Danny groaned resentfully at his own weaknesses. The air conditioning in the office didn't even feel good anymore. His head pounded, and his vision was a bit blurry but he kept reading about Devon Hayashi, suspected drug dealer, who had been accused of firing at several people on a city street. Two had been badly injured but thankfully, no one had been killed. Reports were sketchy as to why the incident had even occurred. Hayashi had eventually been sentenced to serve four years after admitting to aggravated assault, a fourth-degree felony with a one-year firearm specification, and trafficking in heroin, a fifth-degree felony. Overall, it was a light sentence. A lesser term than one would have expected for the multitude of transgressions. That too was an interesting twist, yet understanding why would have to wait.

"This guy's a real prince," Danny murmured under his breath. He tugged on his hair in a vain attempt to offset the headache, but it was useless. He'd been on his feet too long and was over-taxing himself. Wanting to investigate more as Devon Hayashi's records beckoned him to click on one link after another, but needing to lay down and knowing the data certainly wasn't going to change if he took a short nap, Danny locked the board with a screensaver. Then, he took aim for the long couch in Steve's office.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

"Where is he? Danny!" Steve frowned as he strode down the hallway, looking first into Danny's empty office and then taking in the empty space of the war room. "Hey ... Danny!"

They were coming back later than anticipated to the offices with intent to have lunch together. Calls to Danny's cell phone had gone unanswered and now, while the Camaro was in the parking lot, there was currently no sign of his partner. Aggravation had morphed into an awkward feeling of uncertainty and a flustered sense of something being wrong. "Where the hell did he go?" Steve complained loudly.

"Don't know," Chin answered from the vicinity of the men's restroom. "Not in there; it's empty." He had picked up his pace, the look on his face echoing Steve's rise in concern until Kono waved them both to a stop. She was standing just outside Steve's office with a finger to her lips signaling them to be a bit more quiet.

"He's in your office laying down on the couch," she whispered softly to Steve when he joined her in the hallway. Though she'd found him, Kono looked as worried as both Steve and Chin because finding Danny voluntarily laid out flat and unmoving was completely unnatural. An uncomfortable thought without real understanding crossed her mind about his time at Makoa's. "Somethings wrong or happened. He looks sick to me."

"He would have to be," Steve concurred quietly as he paused, one hand on the door as he looked through the glass window. "He'd never admit defeat unless he didn't feel well." He took a long moment to study his partner. Tucked on his right side, Danny had a poor excuse of a blanket draped only over his shoulders with his bare legs completely uncovered.

"I don't know when he got back here, but he didn't even change his clothes," Steve murmured in confusion. Danny's habit had been to visit Makoa during the morning hours to avoid the heat of the day. But when he reached the office, he typically hit the showers before changing into something more suitable. Instead, he was dead to the world on Steve's couch just as he'd gone to the workshop that same morning in well-worn shorts and a t-shirt. And based on the placid look of an unlined but somewhat pale face, combined with the subtle rise and fall of his chest, he'd been sleeping soundly for quite some time.

"So?" Chin smiled in relief as he peered around Steve. Danny's left hand hung lax off the side of the couch, his fingers open and pointing downward towards the floor. "He's out for the count."

"_So_ ... we leave him alone," Steve stated flatly as his hand fell from his own office door. "Let him sleep. We'll draw straws on who gets take-out. It'll be easier in the long run."

"Your turn, cuz," Kono said, playfully punching Chin's shoulder. He was laughing and agreeing before she'd even finished her sentence. "I don't need to draw straws. It's definitely your turn, Chin!"

"Fine, I'm going!" Chin responded easily. "But if I'm paying, I'm bringing back what I want for a change."

Steve had to laugh with them, allowing the two to figure out the plans for an in-house lunch of sorts before Chin actually left. But something else was drawing his attention as he glanced suspiciously from his downed partner and then over to the Smart table. There was a sudden inkling that Danny had been up to something and so, with his interest piqued, he woke the screens. A myriad of pictures came to life to the left and right of the main LCD panel. All were of the same young man who as definitely of some kind of Hawaiian ancestry.

"What is this all about?" Steve muttered in surprise. Tattooed and belligerent in each mug shot, Steve could only stare blankly at the images and wonder what his partner had been up to before deciding to take an impromptu nap.

"No way," Kono gasped from just behind his shoulder. "What the hell happened today? He can't be back." With a few added taps, she flicked the files open on the main panel to see the reports of Devon Hayashi's rather deep laundry list of felonious crimes.

"Who? Who is this guy and how do you know him?" Steve was back to frowning again when Kono reacted so quickly and with a sense of true alarm. His eyes flew across the screen picking out key points, but that only led Steve to become more baffled. "He's a felon ... this is one hell of a rap sheet."

He hadn't quite engaged his brain on anything more than wondering why Danny might have been investigating such a dangerous man. Utterly confused, Steve stared at the images and slowly absorbed the facts that the young man in question had an intensely criminal past history which included aggravated assault and kidnapping offenses in the State of California. For the life of him, he hadn't quite put two and two together as to why Danny might have been investigating these particular files.

"_Hayashi_, Steve," Kono said with a distinctive tone as she realized Steve hadn't noticed the young man's last name for the list of major offenses against society. There was only one reason in her mind as to why Danny had accessed the file and she inwardly winced at the implications before voicing them aloud. "This is why Danny's not feeling well. Devon Hayashi is Makoa's son. He must have served his prison term and come back to Hawaii; he must have shown up at Makoa's today even though his father disowned him years ago."

"Disowned? Why would he come back then?" Steve unknowingly voiced Danny's initial personal thought. That consideration was the over-riding crux for many of Danny's original and very inventive scenarios. Waving his hands upwards towards years worth of evidence, Steve had to shake his head in bewilderment. "With a history like this and a family who evidently doesn't want him, why did he come back here?"

"Exactly," Kono muttered before she clamped her mouth shut. Consternation was written all over her face as the one comment sent her mind reeling. _Why would he come back?_ Was he looking for trouble? Had he returned to settle a score with his father? Or, oddly, maybe he'd come back to reconcile ... which even to her, was an enormous stretch of reality.

"I don't know," Kono admitted. "I have no idea ... but based on the way Danny looks, whatever happened at the workshop was bad enough. I need to see Makoa ... none of this can be good."

"He doesn't want help and I don't think I look that bad. Thank you very much," Danny yawned widely around his words as he slowly walked across the floor. His head still hurt and he could scarcely keep his eyes open from the glare of basic office lighting. He interrupted Kono and ruefully lifted his eyebrows in an attempt to offset Steve's shocked expression at seeing him on his feet.

"You're wrong about at least one thing, Danno, because you look like total crap," Steve said, folding his arms tightly across his chest before leaning back to brace himself against the table. He then ignored the somewhat amused snort aimed his way about his not so pleasant compliment. "Anyway tell me this ... is Kono right? Makoa's son is back in town?"

"Seems that way," Danny replied. He made a face as he recalled the unpleasant surprise and the rude attempt made by Devon to dare touch his head. The brief distraction read across his face like an open book and Kono glanced worriedly to Steve.

"What happened?" Steve asked, eyes narrowing instantly in concern and a protective indignation when his partner's expression altered completely. There was a flicker of stress behind the pained weariness and Steve filled in the gaps easily enough. "He showed up at the workshop while you were there, didn't he? There was a _what_? A fight or an argument ... what happened between you and this guy, or with Makoa? What happened this morning, Danny?"

"Enough happened," Danny muttered somewhat evasively until he realized that he needed to elaborate just a bit more when his two friends frowned in a strange twin-like parody.

"There was an argument between him and Makoa; but I'm fine," Danny insisted. "Seriously, I am." If he hadn't been so under the weather, he'd have laughed at Steve's incessant ability to question and prattle on about his health. Kono wasn't buying anything he was saying either. But their combined worry was sound and Danny could only guess what he looked like since he wasn't feeling much better than when he'd arrived at the office.

For all intents and purposes though, Danny was still partly confused by Devon's inability or unwillingness to physically strike back that morning despite now knowing that he was Makoa's son. With a criminal record such as he saw, that ingrained anger should have been on the surface regardless of who stood across from him. Devon had practically threatened his father verbally, too, yet he had completely refrained from physical violence even when antagonized by his elder. It all meant something, but Danny was too tired to get into that side of the strange story.

"Let's just say that it was most definitely _not_ a happy reunion between father and son; and Devon didn't appreciate my presence in his father's workshop. However, Makoa doesn't want anyone involved. Not you, me or anybody else for that matter," Danny added with a weary sigh.

Still feeling sick, Danny rubbed his face and winced against the steady throbbing which had settled in his skull. He'd slept for two solid hours, waking to the presence of company having finally arrived. Nonetheless, his body was arguing that he needed even more sleep and he didn't feel like disputing the fact. Now that he was awake, he only wanted to go home, draw the curtains and curl back up under the covers in a darkened room. He still wanted to deal with this Makoa issue, but later and at another time when he felt better.

"So that means we're going to get involved?" Steve grinned humorously as he warily examined the dull look to Danny's eyes. There was more to come but he was sure that his partner hadn't quite had time nor energy to discover it yet. If that was the case, then it would be faster and much easier for Steve to simply voice it all in order to get it over with. His chuffed snort was meant to be audible as he tightened his folded arms across his chest to finalize what was likely rattling around in Danny's head. "Because if he's refusing help, you think he actually wants it, right? You think something else is going on here?"

"Yup," Danny murmured while he searched his pockets for his car keys. "There's something bothering me about all of this. But not today and maybe not even tomorrow. The day after would be good though."

Steve lost what remained of his grin entirely at his partner's words which were now compounded by the jingle of keys. To not want to pursue something that day was one thing, but to bring up the next as a void was a possible example of how lousy he might truly be feeling. Playing along, Steve nodded if only to encourage Danny to get some rest outside of the office. "Alright, we'll pick this up in a day or two. We'll keep an eye on things here and see if Makoa needs any help ... even if it's only to make sure his son hasn't come back to kickstart some type of trouble."

"Uh huh. That's a terrible theory. I've known Makoa longer than either one of you and he always means what he says. If he said to stay out of it with his son, he meant it. We're only going to be making Hayahsi-_san_ very angry," Kono recanted her earlier comment about seeing the man. She was torn in both directions of respectfully keeping their distance versus stepping in where they were obviously not wanted.

"You look awful, brah." Her lips were also now pursed in a thin white line as she studied Danny's glassy expression. She was concerned about what she saw, but hesitated briefly as her mind worked double-time over Devon's odd return. "You took meds, too. You _are_ sick and you really think that you're gong to drive in this condition? Besides, Chin is out right now bringing back lunch and you probably need to eat."

"No food; I'm going home." Danny gulped hard at the thought of eating, one hand waving instantly in the air to vanquish the bare concept of eating. Unfortunately for him, it was the hand which held his car keys and he never saw the error of his ways until they disappeared from his grip a moment later.

"He needs to eat but he's certainly not driving looking the way he does right now." Steve quoted as he took advantage of Danny's lack of dexterity by plucking the keys from his fingers. "Case in point ... I think there's something on that bottle about operating machinery - something about not doing it if I recall. Impaired judgement ... poor reflexes."

"Wise ass. By the way, _HE_ is standing right here," Danny griped in annoyance. Steve was virtually leering at him as he stressed his last few words, holding the keys high in the air as if to substantiate the same points. "I'm far from invisible and I'm quite capable of driving my own car."

But Steve only ignored the abhorrent look which streaked across Danny's face for the inflexible terms of his intervention and vowed to himself that he would apologize later to Chin for skipping out before lunch arrived. "Come on Miss Daisy ... we'll get you something light on the way back to your place. After, you need to get off your feet for real," Steve demanded, a firm hand guiding his partner from the main room.

With a slight smile on her face, Kono was listening as she watched them leave, but was admittedly distracted by the files which remained up on the screens. As soon as they were out of sight, she was turning back to avidly read through Devon Hayashi's files. She was as intrigued as Danny with his return and then confused as to why Danny might have also pulled up Makoa's personal records. She made a noise in the back of her throat about that before assuming he'd only done that as a starting point. It made perfect sense and easily led Danny down a path to readily identify Devon Hayashi's existence without crazily running through a multitude of miscellaneous unknown mug shots.

However, she was tempering intrigue with a stale, but remembered feeling of uneasiness. Her history with Makoa was ages-old and she'd known the younger version of Devon at one time - not necessarily as a peer, but as a devil-may-care troublemaker. He'd had his father's notorious temper. He caused trouble and had eventually found an association with others of the same ilk. Makoa had been confused, angry and understandably embarrassed by his only son's actions.

As a younger girl, she'd borne witness to some of those original stellar arguments between father and son. The faint memories made Kono shudder inside and she closed her eyes to conjure an old scene of flying fists, hateful voices raised in anger, and torn shirts.

If Devon was indeed back on the island, Kono could now only find herself fearful for Makoa's well-being. Because of that defensible truth, she needed to know more. Her mental apology to the older man was brief as she bent over the Smart table much as Danny had done to continue his research.

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	21. Chapter 21

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Notes: **the facts around Devon's legal issues and incarceration are borrowed from a real case. I'm continually smacking the muse upside the head to tow the line, but it's far too late now! Thanks to Fifilla and CinderH (and really to all of you great readers) for constant reassurances that this is still working.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

_"If you want to listen, don't talk._

_If you want to talk, listen first." __― Norbert Harms_

_**Chapter Twenty-one: No Kau a Kau ~ For Eternity**_

"What?" Devon blurted. His tone echoed the stunned disbelief on his face and the woman behind the counter backed up one full step. "What did you say? She's not _here_ ... you own the shoppe now? That's impossible!"

He'd gone to his mother's florist shoppe, mildly cognizant of the slight changes in tone and atmosphere which made it brighter and even a bit more modern. But he'd not really centered in on the name change above the brick and mortar's main entrance. Familiar sights and scents assailed his senses the very second he'd walked across the threshold and he'd forgotten everything. With a smile on his lips, Devon had closed his eyes and paused to inhale deeply before turning towards where he remembered the counter.

Except the checkout counter and cash register weren't there and he stood frozen in place until a young voice sweetly called out to him inquiring if he needed help. Only then had he realized that something important might have changed.

"You're wrong," Devon bristled defensively. The tremble was back in his fingers and he shook his head adamantly as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "What you're saying is impossible. Where's Iris?"

"No, it's not impossible. I bought the business because Iris isn't here anymore," the young woman hesitantly explained. She was a bit nervous as she gazed up at the large man facing her across the counter. But where he'd been intimidating at first glance, now his eyes were flush with confusion and a growing, genuine fear. With care, she couched her words slowly and the best way that she could manage. "When the owner - Iris - passed away, the husband eventually put the business up for sale and I bought it about a year ago."

"Died?" Devon whispered. He looked around the flower shoppe, horror and dread feeding his very soul as he finally saw the extent of all the changes. The long white counter wasn't the only thing that was so very different. Devon backed further away, his arms were now criss-crossed over his body, hugging himself tightly. Maybe he was in the wrong store front. After all, it had been years since he'd been back. Yet, he knew that the thought was completely ludicrous and he knew that he was vainly picking at paper straws as he whispered another frightening denial. "You have to be wrong about that. Who exactly did you do business with ... I need names."

The shoppe owner was quiet for a moment, worried about the man's fluctuating emotions before she even replied with the little bit of truth she knew. "Mrs. Iris Hayashi used to own this flower shoppe. There had been a car accident. I think a rain storm or something almost two years ago now ... but, afterwards ... after she passed away from her injuries, her husband put the shoppe up for sale. I don't think he had a choice."

Devon stood completely still. He was barely breathing as he just stared at the woman before him. The floor tilted dangerously under his feet as the air and sound were sucked completely out from the colorful room. The colors merged and the scents suddenly seemed raw and noxious in his nose. He couldn't see more than what appeared to be through a narrow tunnel and his hearing was completely gone. The woman's mouth was still moving and he stared at her lips, mesmerized by their movement. He heard nothing though for the deafening buzz in his ears which continually drowned every single sound out around him.

"Sir? Did you hear me?" Eventually, the woman's voice returned and Devon nodded once in his shock, backing away to nearly the door now as if he'd been stung by a swarm of bees. The woman was sympathetic, asking if he needed to sit down as sweat beaded his forehead. He knew that she was making assumptions of her own, but he didn't care. What was left of his world had crashed down on him in the most random of ways.

His mother had died while he was in prison and he hadn't known.

_No one had ever told him._

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Sweat poured down Danny's back, soaked his shirt and then the protective overalls he was wearing yet still, he kept going. His face glistened and yet he couldn't pause to wipe it away because of the gear he wore. As Makoa had gleefully stated: _ being hot was simply part of the job._ So, he ignored the constant itchy drips of moisture as his eyes followed the contour of the board with a sharp attempt at being accurate. The weight he applied to the sander had to be just right and consistent or he'd ruin the board before he'd even really begun.

"Hey!" Danny jolted in surprise when a hand came from over his shoulder. With five complete fingers attached and the skin not nearly as weathered or gnarled, it certainly wasn't Makoa. He only stopped when that hand covered both of his own to bring the sander to a complete stop. There was a sharp yank on the tool's yellow safety cord which disengaged the plug from its power source, effectively plunging the shop into a near-deafening silence.

"What are you doing?" Danny pulled away, bordering on actual anger for being disrupted.

"That's enough," Steve said through the rag he held over his mouth against the spray of dust. He was disgusted and even a bit stressed by the tremble in his friend's fingers. "Makoa's in the main house with Kono right now, and your damned lucky about that. _Maybe_. What the hell are _you_ doing?"

"I was just finishing up one section of this board," Danny replied defensively, his voice muffled by his protective gear. He forced himself to stand upright, staggering a bit from a washed out feeling of fatigue. His back ached and he stretched carefully as he gestured for Steve to follow him out the rear door into the fresher air. There, he took off the respirator, face mask and stripped out of the lightweight coveralls almost shivering as the breeze off the water lifted his stained t-shirt.

"Whoa," Danny whooshed out, bending over to place both hands on his knees to regain his balance. "That wasn't very nice." As he shook his foot free from the material, a dizzying array of sparkling lights and a dull grayish cowl tinged the edges of his vision. He was barely straightening when Steve's hand hooked him firmly under the arm in case he decided to pitch forward. "It's okay, I'm fine."

"Daniel," Steve growled out angrily while carefully moving his friend backwards to sit in the closest bamboo-thatched chair. "What the hell are you doing? Your board is fixed ... i just saw it out front and it's better than new. Why are you still fooling around? We haven't seen or heard about Devon in days; consider this impromptu stake-out _over_."

"Yeah, it is and it looks fantastic," Danny stated with no lack of pride about his old board. With an intent to irk his partner, his response intentionally avoided the context of Steve's comments about Devon Hayashi.

"I started this one now," Danny said calmly. He had finished repairing his old board days ago under Makoa's tutelage and was ready to take it home with the help of whomever had decided to come and collect him during the afternoon. But this day was different because Danny knew that Steve and Kono had come out together with ulterior motives. The team had cobbled together an interesting tale about Devon, and Kono in particular, felt a strong need to bring Makoa up-to-speed whether the man wished to hear it, or not.

He leaned back in the chair to take advantage of the shade granted by the shallow overhead awning. Steve was right in that he'd done too much; regardless, he felt fairly good. More energized than experiencing a bone-weary type of exhaustion. Steve was also quite correct about an impromptu stakeout. Both things of which made Danny exquisitely happy and content because he wouldn't deny nor confirm them. Instead, he grinned when he heard Steve sigh in disgust.

"Stop worrying so much," Danny waved Steve's disapproval off as he swiped rivulets of sweat from his cheek. "I'm not going to get better unless I do more every day." No matter what he was doing too, the fatigue always rushed up on him without warning and he'd felt so much better of late. It was becoming difficult to know when he should stop doing something or conversely, when he might be able to continue. "But ... _but_ it didn't take all that long to repair my old board and Makoa had this other one that he'd just started. Yesterday, the client backed out of the deal. So now, he's using it to teach me how to make one virtually from scratch."

"You've already booked your therapeutic hours," Steve complained. "A half day here and a few afternoon hours in the office was the agreed-to plan. Not more physical labor ... and definitely not a long-term _stakeout_!"

"It hardly took a full week to fix my board and that was going slow. I can't help it if it's fun," Danny grinned complacently. He was tired but up to the friendly argument as their banter escalated. "The office is boring. Home is boring. This - _here_ - is fun. I'm not lifting anything or out of breath which is what Doctor Fratelli distinctly warned about. I just have to take my time, use a sander, and concentrate."

"It's hot. You're wearing a lot of protective gear and getting over-heated," Steve countered argumentatively as he made a point of staring at the sweat staining Danny's tshirt. "You're on your feet too long and _concentrating_ too hard. And stop changing the damned subject! Don't you dare try to tell me that you've not contrived some sort of weird stakeout to catch Devon in the act of doing something; you can't protect Makoa forever and he's made that clear enough. Starting a new board from a slab is physical labor, Danny, and I'm not so sure you're ready for it yet."

"I'm fine and Fratelli agrees that it's time to get more of my stamina back," Danny insisted, one hand waving skillfully through the air though he had already closed his eyes comfortably. "Besides, this could all change again once Kono gets Makoa to listen to what she has to say."

He was grinning happily and keeping his eyes closed so he'd not see Steve's disapproving expression. He hadn't once denied the stakeout verbally either. Another point which likely irked Steve to no end. So, if he gave him the satisfaction and opened his eyes, Danny would be quite correct about Steve's expression since his jaw had indeed hardened and he was already shaking his head to the negative.

"Stamina is one thing, but Doctor Fratelli is clueless about a stakeout!" Steve argued more loudly. "He would be furious if he knew what you were really up to. You can barely stand up right now, Daniel!" Seconds later, he was throwing his hands up in the air as Danny blithely changed the subject for the second time.

"He made her board, you know," Danny noted calmly, one eye peeking fiendishly open to look upwards to gauge Steve's response. "After she blew out her knee; Makoa made Kono a perfectly balanced board. All because he felt that she might want to try again."

"No, okay. Fine, I didn't know that," Steve replied, his tone fraught with a feeling of absolute disgust as he finally acquiesced to Danny's methods. He put his back against the wall before sliding down to sit next to Danny's chair. "No, I didn't know that at all."

"So, Kono's with Makoa right now?" Danny asked, defaulting immediately to what he really wanted to focus on and he grinned at the incredulous sound now radiating up from where Steve sat on the ground. "Makoa has to know that there's something fishy about his son's sentencing and the decision to impose lesser charges."

"Yeah, she's with him and hoping he listens to what she has to say," Steve confirmed. "The defense attorney agreed that the case was a difficult one. Reluctant witnesses and uncooperative victims; the number of different versions about what happened is incredible. Evidence against Devon was questionable at best. Makes no sense to me as to why Devon pled guilty to aggravated assault and drug trafficking."

"Makoa won't speak about any of it," Danny sighed resentfully. "I've tried and Kono keeps trying, but he slammed the door in her face more than once. As soon as I bring his son up, he literally walks away. He won't discuss it and we can't find Devon to talk to him to get his side of things. Maybe he'll listen to her today. In fact, I'm surprised he hasn't thrown her out of the house already. "

Danny sighed heavily as he rocked his head back into the side of the building. Neither he nor Kono had been able to let Devon's past history go. Certain things seemed off and the more they dug deeper, the more questions they had. They were anxious to question Makoa, as well as find Devon to do precisely the same thing. Danny was sure that Devon had either been setup or had taken the fall for someone else, but the _why_ to either of those questions remained elusive.

"I don't know," Danny murmured to himself about nothing and yet everything, his brain was working over time again but his eyes were only partly open as he peacefully rested in the shade. He didn't have too much more to say as he thought about Kono and if her conversation with Makoa was once more going to be in vain.

Steve leaned heavily back into the shed wall, also falling silent as he sat on the ground next to Danny's chair. As the ocean breeze picked up, he could see an occasional shimmer of sparkling azure. It was a near perfect day to be on the water. He was about to comment on that fact until he glanced upwards. Slouched down and cocked slightly to the left, Danny had stopped moving and his eyes were no longer even slightly open.

Steve smiled as he jutted his legs straight out to cross his ankles and closed his own eyes in enjoyment. It was indeed a peaceful day and they had a fairly open agenda. He'd allow Kono another fifteen or twenty minutes alone with Makoa before chasing her down. A few minutes later though, his mental plans had been forgotten as he, too, gently nodded off.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

"Hey," Danny poked Steve hard in the shoulder. They both had fallen asleep side by side, and Danny had to roll his eyes when he checked the time. "Hey, Steve! Wake up."

The startled grunt was comical and Danny had to laugh as Steve's entire body lurched in reaction. Bleary-eyed, he stared at Danny trying to remember where they were until his partner tapped his watch with a wry grin.

"Forty minutes," Danny chuckled at their combined laziness. "I might have an excuse, but you sure don't."

"Hmmm," Steve blinked while humming an odd sound deep in his chest. He was disbelieving as he rubbed his eyes fiercely against the burn of having taken a hard nap. "Fell asleep."

Danny grinned more widely, laughing openly as the two got to their feet. "Kono must be still with Makoa. I'll go check ... I need to use the facilities anyway," Danny said. He was pleased that he felt better after the short nap. It meant his recovery time was improving and he vigorously waved his arms across his body while he walked up the path to increase his blood flow and get his system moving again.

As with everything Makoa Hayashi maintained, the main house was modest but exceedingly neat and orderly. It stood separate and unattached from the workshop with a long, narrow set of wooden stairs leading up to a deck and a sunny front door. To reach the house from the workshop, Danny would need to follow a shady and well-worn path which ran the full length of Makoa's property. Before reaching the end and the driveway where his car was parked, he would need to make a sharp right to ascend that staircase.

Danny went that way now, sensing Steve ambling a few steps behind as he checked his phone for messages. The path was shady and soothing, and Danny turned right without really thinking to take the stairs upwards. As he began his climb, the expected low hum of conversation reached his ears. Head down and holding the wooden deck rail with one hand, Danny was relaxed and not really paying attention as he reached the top of the landing. Not once did he sense danger. Not once did he expect what happened next despite the startled shout from Steve who was now far below him.

Danny never saw the dusky shadow nor the desperately angry face behind the fist that connected with the right side of his jaw. One moment he was about to reach for the front door and in the next, there was an explosion of white light. His garbled gasp barely made it past his lips as he dropped sharply to his knees.

"_Ste ..._" His voice croaked in alarm but he never finished saying Steve's name. Blood filled his mouth and tainted his tongue at the same time the shock of the attack hit him. The pain from his bitten lip and bruised tongue set in quickly and before his jaw or even his head could comprehend they too would soon object the maltreatment. His left hand flailed for the banister but it was gone from his grip and instead he fisted the wood of the step he was now vaguely eye level with. There was a second shout from below and another from inside the house, but he had no time to react. Any breath left was pummeled as something bluntly caught him square in the middle of the chest to propel him violently backwards - precisely the way he'd just come.

Danny caught the glimpse of a dark face, snarled with a deep fury, then the blue of the sky right before he pitched over backwards in a stunned semi-conscious state. He hit something hard but simultaneously soft before his tumble could truly become fateful. Then, he was being physically dragged down the remainder of the staircase, his heels sloppily thumping along step by step until they hit pavement.

He moaned against the ongoing abuse as Steve hoisted him higher under the arms, his head now sagging forward chin to chest. He needed to be moved to safety, yet Steve's methods compressed the thickness in his sternum where Devon had forcibly kicked him. He lost time then, only aware of a hectic activity, briefly fading to only feebly rouse as he was laid flat back out in the workshop and Steve's solid presence abandoned him.

Danny lost even more as his senses refused to cooperate and his heels scrabbled haphazardly on the floor in a sad attempt to gain purchase. A leaden weight had settled across his chest and he was slow to regain oxygen into his lungs; slower yet, to even open his eyes.

_"Whu ...? Ste ... ve?"_ He coughed, trying to twist to his side in order to get up. But he only wound up weakly stranded on his back again, heels straining to dig into concrete and knees partly raised. His jaw and head had now exploded in a tympani of pain. Barely able to think, he shakily used the back of his right hand to swipe the smears of blood away from his mouth. That ungainly move was the last thing he could muster the energy for for a good many minutes afterwards. Dazed by what had occurred, his eyes closed and his blood stained hand folded limply over on itself across his chest.

What finally got Danny reacting with a stronger sense of awareness was the roar of Steve's big Silverado which reached him from where he lay on his back. The deep tone hurt his ears and for one disquieting moment as the rumble intensified to drill into the base of his skull, he thought the big truck might literally roll over the top of him. With an effort, Danny clawed himself onto his left side and then to his stomach, pillowing his forehead on his arm. He inhaled raw chemical smells through his nose and alternately, puffed away tiny particles of styrofoam, wood and clods of dust from his open mouth as he rasped out each breath of air.

Devon had hit him hard. The sharp kick to his chest had nearly finished him.

Mercifully though, Hayashi's son had gone for the outline of his jaw and not the fragile side of his head. Then Steve had provided a divine miracle of sorts by catching him virtually midair before he could have sustained a real life threatening injury. Still though, Danny was hurting and duly rattled by the surprise attack and terrifying close call.

With a start, Danny realized he didn't hear the truck anymore and cursed himself for yet another brief zoning out of time and place. He knew that Steve had left him to take a chance on moving the big truck closer, as well as to demand reinforcements. The truck would offer another line of protection until adequate help arrived; it also held a number of Steve-centric '_toys_' they'd undoubtedly need for their hostile hostage situation.

"God. Damn. It. Kono's in there," Danny chuffed painfully as he remembered first Kono and then Makoa. He couldn't lay there all day, but he was being much too slow in getting himself back together. Groaning under his breath, Danny kept his head down on his arm while he squirreled his knees up higher under him. Once there, he took a moment to rock in place before pushing determinedly off the ground to stand. With his eyes momentarily squeezed shut against a fierce tide of vertigo, he clamped his achy jaw shut as he forced himself to find some sort of center because he didn't intend to return to the concrete.

"Oh, _man_," he ground out as he forced himself vertical, one hand going out instantly for the sturdy safety of the long work table reaching it just before he could pitch forward back to earth. Using the back of his free hand, Danny wiped the blood away from his lips for a second time before spitting more out of his mouth. Devon had caught him just right and the inside of his cheek felt as if it had been lacerated by gravel.

His urgency was steady despite his hazy vision as he aimed himself towards the duffle bag he'd brought along with him that morning because he'd also come prepared. As he came more back to himself, he used one hand to tug the zipper open. His weapon was there, wrapped in two clean tshirts with an extra clip stowed under another pair of shorts. One final tug had it out of its holster and the safety thumbed off.

Tightlipped for the muzzy-headed pain he was still experiencing, Danny stumbled to the front door of the workshop to prop himself just inside the lintel to gain a line of sight to the rear of the main house. He rested there, breathing hard as he argued the constricted bruised feeling tightening his chest and forcing his knees to lock; _simply concentrating on staying upright_ while he tried to see Steve or movement through any windows in the house.

"Damn it. What are you doing?" Danny jolted in surprise, needing to use more of the wall as a brace when Steve's voice hissed angrily in his ear. "You can hardly stand up and five minutes ago, you were out for the count! You didn't even know that I was behind you just now."

Based on his tone of voice, Steve was in a highly controlled state of distress as he rounded on his badly shaken partner. He'd caught Danny in a frightening acrobatic move, jarring his own back and upper body when Devon Hayshi's booted foot had planted itself firmly against Danny's chest in order to kick him violently backwards down the long wooden staircase.

"Are you hurt? How do you feel?" Steve cursed again at the near perfect outline of a dusty footprint implanted on his partner's dirty shirt. Pale and with blood staining his lips, Danny's eyes said that he had been duly knocked into next week. While he was on his feet, Steve was frantic about any injury to his head until he spied the gun.

"Where did that come from?" Steve pressed his lips together in a line of anger as he failed to twist the weapon from his partner's grip.

"My bag," Danny said, his words slightly slurred for the damage done to his mouth. The next thing he managed to state seemed like the most obvious thing in the world even with his head feeling as if it might be stuffed with padded wool. "Need a gun on a stakeout, Steven."

"Seriously? I'll remember that one, Danno, and I'll be thrilled to inform Doctor Fratelli of this during your next checkup," Steve hissed, his voice oozing the annoyance he felt inside. "I'm glad you _think_ you're prepared, but you're sitting this one out, buddy."

"No. I'm ... good," Danny said wholly unconvincingly as Steve wrapped a hand around his bicep to keep him steady. "Tell me first. What exactly ... happened? I mean ... I _do know_. But I don't."

"God, Danno. You're messed up," Steve whispered worriedly as he bent over at the waist to get a better look at Danny's glazed expression. He didn't like what he saw when Danny's eyes refused to track his finger in a reliable manner. "Devon was at the top of the staircase and pretty much laid you flat. I only had time to get you out of there. But long story short, he's barricaded himself in the house with both Kono and Makoa. I'm guessing he's armed ... I've already called Chin and HPD for backup. A negotiator's on the way. I'm just not sure how bad he's going to escalate this."

"Can't wait that long," Danny argued. He grimaced when tried to disengage his arm from the firm hold as Steve attempted to maneuver him out of where he'd propped himself up against the doorway. "Let go."

"Bad idea, Danno," Steve replied, easily hanging on to his friend's arm. His worry only increased when Danny tried to pull away and almost lost his balance in the process."You need to sit down; you really do."

"Why?" Danny asked as he blinked a few times. "Don't have time to wait." His eyes continued to be stubborn about focusing on Steve's face and he felt woozy. But except for the slurred speech which was mostly caused by his increasingly swollen lip and tongue, at least his voice was cooperating. "We're the best bet for a one on one negotiation, not some trained negotiator that hasn't known Makoa or done any research on his son."

"It's a bad idea," Steve repeated, negating his partner's plans though he was absolutely right. What he meant was that Danny's participation was a bad idea because he didn't want to risk another member of his team. One that was still on leave and now more than slightly battered from an unexpected attack. With the unknown state of Kono as a hostage, he didn't want to chance the futures of two valuable members from his team. "Danny, you're not ready for this. You got rattled pretty good."

"Not waiting this time," Danny shook his head, insisting they come up with a faster plan of action. His jaw burned with a ferocious heat and a heaviness to his head made him wince, but they had no choice. "We're too far out here; anything can happen in an hour with a hostage situation. The longer this takes, the worse the outcome will be. You know that."

Knowing he was overruled by a number of very sound reasons, Steve groaned out loud as he was caught in a logical crossfire. They were armed and resources were on the way. They also had a deep level of intelligence on Makoa's son. Despite all of that, Steve shook his head while he examined his partner's rumpled body.

"Danny." Steve released Danny's arm long enough to rub both of his hands over his sweat-streaked face. His voice was muffled for that moment and his face drawn as he finally agreed. Danny was absolutely correct about the delicate dance of a negotiation and it would take reinforcements potentially too much time to reach them. Still, they were coming and that bought them a decent buffer. However, Danny was injured and another of their own plus a civilian were technically unknowns in a volatile situation. Whatever plan they concocted needed to be wisely initiated to achieve the best possible solution.

"Okay," Steve muttered. His voice continually communicated his displeasure about the entire predicament they were in. "But we handle this with kid gloves and take zero chances. You stay right here ... you don't go anywhere near that house."

"Kid gloves and zero chances? That's priceless coming from you," Danny interrupted, managing a lopsided smirk until Steve pushed a demonstrative finger in his face.

"I have one word for you," Steve glared back before pointing to Dannys gun. "_Stakeout_."

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	22. Chapter 22

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Notes:** poor beta of mine. Every chapter is "the last one" ... except it's not! Bad ... baaaaaad muses.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

_"If you want to listen, don't talk._

_If you want to talk, listen first." ― Norbert Harms_

_**Chapter Twenty-two: No Kau a Kau ~ For Eternity**_

"Put them on her," Devon hissed though his teeth. His face was suffused by a red tinge and he was breathless in his rage. "Do it! Now!"

Kono and Makoa had been in an intense discussion about the facts behind Devon's prison sentence. She had been angry and overly forceful with the man because for every assertion she'd thrown his way, Makoa had a rival or morally-based rebuff. He was difficult and steadfast in his ways which tried Kono's patience and was exasperating her to no end. Both of their tempers had been on the rise which made Devon's unorthodox arrival even more unwelcome. Out of the corner of her eye, Kono now watched as Devon tucked her pistol firmly into the back of his jeans and brandished another and equally impressive gun in his father's face.

She inhaled sharply as Devon shifted the gun from her chest to his father's head. What he wanted Makoa to do was to use Kono's own handcuffs to bind her hands behind her back while she remained seated in one of the kitchen chairs. Rather than doing as he'd been told, Makoa stood stock-still, seething in anger as he looked from his son to Kono unable to budge an inch. Wincing at the sound of a hammer being steadily readied for firing, Kono bit her lip pensively as she slammed her cuffs on the table in front of her with a solid thump of sound and willingly put her wrists behind her back.

"Here, do it!" Her voice was louder than she wanted it to be; higher and thinner. Kono wasn't sure if Devon Hayashi remembered her from their youth, but he certainly had pegged her for a cop without her even rising from her chair in the first place.

"Makoa, it's alright. Just do it," Kono restated as calmly as she could, though she too, was beginning to shake internally. It wasn't alright; not even close to being slightly okay. Being cuffed by another stranger -_ another man_ - no matter the differences in the cirumstances was something she wasn't entirely sure she could adequately cope with. But with a gun being held to a civilian's head, she had no choice and so she fought the bile she tasted in the back of her throat.

Kono briefly closed her eyes as she wrung her hands behind her back. _Steve was just outside_ and this standoff would be short-lived regardless of its outcome. And then there was Danny ... he was outside, too. She could only hope that he hadn't been injured by whatever Devon had done once he'd ascended the top of the staircase. However, she didn't dare ask as his gaze settled unwaveringly on her face.

"Listen to him and do it," she urged Makoa softly as she struggled to breathe calmly through her nose and out through her mouth. Over and over she counted to three as she inhaled, then exhaled and started over again as a calm repetitive action. Though it took some doing on her part, she distinctly ignored the way her heart was beating so wildly in her chest while her fingers clenched into white-knuckled fists. The simple act of placing her wrists behind her back while sitting at the rough hewn kitchen table was too soon. _Too close_ to being precisely what Topher Reid had managed to do scarcely over a month earlier.

"Come on old man, time's wasting." Devon pressed the muzzle of his gun to Makoa's temple, daring Kono to move or his father to disobey his orders. "We have a lot to discuss. But this time, it's going to be on my terms."

Makoa leaned forward to pull the metal cuffs closer to him from across the table. They felt foreign and heavy in his hands, and his entire being resented what he was being forced to do to Kono. His eyes sparkled with a complexity of fury and apology as he awkwardly opened one side and walked behind her to fasten it first to her right wrist as instructed. With self-disgust, Makoa grimaced as each link clicked sharply into place to trap her hands. When he finished the task, he stood tall and almost protectively next to Kono until Devon smirked and shook his head.

"No way. You sit here," Devon pointed the gun directly at Kono's chest as he backed up to give his father room to negotiate the space between them. "At the head of the table like you've always done."

"Watch yourself, boy," Makoa hissed, his anger intensifying at his son's incredulous demands. By the sheer look etched across his face, Kono didn't have to guess his thoughts or what his anger would lead to. His unspoken point to her had to do with their earlier heated discussion. In no uncertain terms, his son was now proving precisely the very essence of what he'd countered her claims with only a few minutes earlier. Kono's issue though was the common thread which bound the two men so very closely: their dual tempers.

"Makoa," Kono murmured softly, pleading with her eyes as Devon suspiciously swung his gun from his father's head to where she sat trapped at the kitchen table. "_Please_."

"You're Kono Kalakaua," Devon said abruptly with a hint of annoyance. His face changed with a subtlety that briefly brightened his expression even though he didn't seem especially pleased to recognize her. Then it was gone as he glowered with a deeper understanding. "You work with that _haole_ cop."

"His name is Detective Danny Williams," Kono replied evenly. "We both work for Five-0 ... the Governor's task force." She didn't need to confirm her name or reputation now that he remembered her, but she knew that Devon had done something to Danny outside on the deck; she just didn't know what exactly. She'd heard Steve's warning shout and then a series of loud thumps as if someone had fallen. But she hadn't been able to intervene because seconds later, Devon was in the house, barricading the one and only door, and taking a firm control of the situation.

"I don't care what his name is," Devon sneered angrily. "What are you doing here? Why have you been investigating me? Did _he_ ask you to?" The '_he_' was aimed at his father, yet Kono Kalakaua was his nemesis in a way. She had essentially taken his place with his father and garnered his attention in ways that he never could. He resented that past where Makoa had taught her about shaping boards to improve her skills, and he absolutely resented her now as she stood facing him from across the kitchen table in his father's home.

"What do you want?" Makoa's tone and disgusted sneer matched that of his son's. "You should leave before you make matters worse for yourself, boy. Whatever it is you want, you're not going to find it here."

"Shut up, old man" Devon growled out. "I'm done taking orders from you; I was done a long time ago." His hands were shaking from his own pent-up feelings of rage which had finally boiled over and Kono had to force herself to relax where she was. She watched with trepidation as the gun swung between them with a practiced ease. While his fingers might hold a the tremble of a very real anger, Devon's moves were fairly consistent and he wasn't about to make a mistake.

"So typical ... _what do I want?_ he says, as if he's not to blame. Not at fault!" Devon leered at his father, his eyes full of a dark intense emotion. He edged closer, daring his father to look directly into his face. "Why didn't you tell me about her? Why?"

To match the thought process in his head, Makoa's eyes went completely blank for a full minute. His mouth gaped and then slammed closed, while his heavily calloused finger tips flailed uselessly on the marred wooden table top. "I don't know ... _who_ ... who you mean."

"Convenient," Devon snarled. His cheeks reddened even more, the flush of a righteous anger making his eyes bulge in disbelief. "How can you not know? Did you forget her already, old man?"

"Iris?" Kono muttered under her breath. Her eyes flew from one to the other. Her mind was sharper than Makoa's and she couldn't quite believe that Devon hadn't known about his mother. She was faster than Makoa in realizing what Devon meant, but then again, she didn't exactly have a gun aimed at her temple per se. She licked her lips before taking another steadying breath, ready to supply the requested information until Makoa's brain decided to cooperate more finely. She saw the change cross his face a millisecond before he spoke.

"I called the prison." Makoa blurted the words with a combined sense of defensiveness and confusion. "I called ... damn you! I called when it first happened and she was on life support!" He ground the words out, his voice rising in the small room. Makoa's eyes hardened, a coldness leaking back into them and Kono literally flinched as the tension ramped higher between the two men. In a vain attempt to get his attention, she cleared her throat but he was already moving in his chair. Rage spurred him upwards, the back of his knees knocking loudly into the flimsy wooden chair he'd been sitting in until the threat of the gun's muzzle against the back of his head had him floundering to retake his seat.

"Sit down! Don't you move!" Devon roared back, his anger on a par with his father's. Spittle flew from his lips as he fisted his revolver, his tirade bringing him just inches from his father's face, the gun never moving from where it literally touched the side of the older man's head. "There was no call ... _nothing_! I just found out here ... now ... _here_, when I went to the shoppe! You sold her store ... _you sold it_ ... she's gone and I never, _never_ knew!"

"No, no. " Makoa replied, a deep intonation making his voice raspy as he finally saw his son's desperation as if for the first time. He finally _saw_ the depths of the sadness and turmoil so heavily laden across his features. Devon wasn't lying - he truly hadn't known and he was emotionally destroyed to have learned it the way he did. Still, Makoa shook his head to deny what Devon claimed because it seemed so incredibly impossible.

"I called the prison myself. You were in some sort of lockdown; they had you in solitary and refused to do more than bring you my messages."

"I don't believe you, old man," Devon hissed around his breath which was broken and nearly wheezing as it bubbled up inside his chest. Though he recalled being in solitary confinement, he didn't know if he should believe his father. He'd returned to Hawaii originally to try to make amends with both of his parents. To explain things and to hope that they would understand what had really happened to him. But that had changed the moment he'd learned his mother had been killed from injuries sustained in a terrible car accident.

For the last few days, Devon had stewed in a personal heated debate about his original plans. He had tried to reconcile the purpose of his own life now that he was supposedly a free man. He had desperately tried to understand how he couldn't have known about his mother for so very long. The end result of his self-enforced few days of mental exile were not pretty. He'd failed to rationalize his very existence beyond the one fact which dictated that he'd nothing left to live for. He'd decided that making up with his father was a useless, tiresome task.

So instead, he bought a gun and made a haphazard emotional new plan of sorts to know why he'd been so badly betrayed this final time. He needed to know a least that before he permanently moved on.

"Iris ... _my mother died_ ... and no one said a word. I wasn't _here_ and I didn't know ... I didn't _know about mom," _Devon whispered. His eyes were dark, nearly black and so shiny that Kono was drawn into them. She swallowed hard as tears pricked and pained behind her lids and she blinked rapidly to force them away. She knew now that Devon had come back to Hawaii to try to make things right with his parents. She had enough knowledge of his arrest, the related charges and the resultant sentencing to understand that he'd been wronged. But losing his mother now superseded what he saw as a far lesser need. What Devon only saw now was that his father had let him down in the most terrible of ways.

"I'm sorry," Kono softly said. "I really am." Her sentiment was sincere and it had left her mouth before she could think to stop it. She glanced to Makoa and saw then that his face had also completely changed. He was staring at Devon and then slowly sought out Kono with a silent plea for help. He was confused because he knew what he'd done; he had truly contacted the prison officials in an effort to reach his son. But their polices were strict about those in solitary confinement and his calls had been summarily denied one by one. He remembered his anger and outrage, first aimed at the officials and in the end, targeting his son for having committed whatever crime he had while behind bars that would land him in another cage, within a cage. With no recourse at the time, he'd left a series of messages which he'd assumed had been delivered.

"Devon, I don't ... understand," Makoa carefully stated his own truth as the muzzle of his son's handgun wavered closely. "I did try to contact you about your mother. When they told me it wasn't allowed, I left messages for you. They promised me that you'd get them."

There was a lengthy period of silence as the two regarded each other. Devon was struggling to breathe and Makoa was still alternating between confusion and an adamant opinion of what the authorities had vowed to him. Rending her wrists uselessly behind her back, Kono didn't know what might happen next. Emotions continued to be astronomically high. She could see that Devon was unsure about what to do with his father's explanation.

"It's possible that the warden or whomever you spoke to ... lied. A guard or some other person in the office ... literally lied to you," Kono offered as quietly as possible. She spoke directly to Makoa and based her initial comments on the strong potential for some in the system to be corrupt. What she said next related specifically to what she'd found in his files and the belief that Devon had been setup to take the fall for someone higher up in the gang cartel.

"If Devon had enemies ... they could and would withhold his mail, phone messages ... anything and everything, Makoa." Her voice gained strength as her gaze went from the father to stare directly into Devon's face. "He never got your messages; not one of them. But you need to tell your father why you were in solitary, Devon."

She watched as Devon opened his mouth and then closed it just as quickly. For some reason, the younger Hayashi found it impossible to truly defend himself to the one man in the world whom he wished to obtain vindication from. Despite that, while the gun didn't move from his father's head, he was certainly digesting her words and wondering what to do about her claims. But before anyone could make another comment, her cell phone rang from where it sat on her waist. Silently, Kono cocked her hip so Devon could see her belt where her phone was brightly illuminated and vibrating along with its loud tone.

"They'll expect an answer," she said, biting back a grimace when Devon's face morphed into a hateful mask. He stalked to her side, yanking the cell phone off her body to glare at the caller ID on the screen.

"McGarrett," he growled out. "He's the other one that's here?"

"My boss," Kono answered lightly. "He wants to talk to you."

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

The breeze came in through the partly opened window and ruffled just the left side of Danny's hair while the air conditioning vents fluttered the right. From his left, the heavy air was hot and it mixed with the cold to barely dry the sweat on his skin as more moisture trickled down his back. His body was in an odd state of flux as the sun beat down on the truck and his level of stress simply continued on its almost unbearable course.

"Come on. Answer." Danny's eyes were closed while he whispered that litany as his call to Kono's cell phone rang once, twice and then three times. With a worried grunt, he rocked his head back in frustration when it went to voicemail and he was forced to thumb the call off. While Steve covered the elevated front door to the house, Danny had been planted inside the idling pickup truck with the air conditioning on high and the dual fans aimed directly into his face. But he couldn't hear and he'd partly opened the driver's side window so he wouldn't feel quite as removed from the action as he really was.

His gun was comfortably placed across his lap and his spare clip sat nearby on the passenger seat, easily within reach should he need it. From Steve's spare gear, they now each had an earbud to communicate and heavily oppressive bulletproof vests. The cold air had helped revive some of his good senses, but Danny was in no shape to do anything more now that he was somewhat off his feet.

_"Voicemail?"_ Steve stated the obvious for what he could or couldn't hear through their comm links.

"Yeah," Danny replied. Hitting redial, he opened the line again to try for a second time. He groaned to himself on the first ring. "This is a helluva way to spend a Tuesday afternoon," he snarked under his breath.

_"Danny, ..." S_teve's voice echoed in his ear with an odd confused note, but Danny missed it entirely. There was another pause before Steve tried again, the baffled tone clearly evident. "_Hey? Danno? What did you just say? How are you holding up there, buddy?" _

"What?" Danny murmured. He glared at the windshield, his own confusion about his partner's odd line of questioning slightly irking him. Steve was supposed to be using the Camaro as cover, yet Danny could envision him at the foot of the wooden staircase. And if he wasn't loitering at its foot, he'd be halfway up the damnable thing.

"What? I'm fine," Danny frowned, his response interrupted as he heard a distant squeak as if to validate his very thoughts. _Old wood against old wood_ as a weight shifted to make it whine in protest and his frown deepened. "Where are _you_ though, Steve?"

There was no reply and Danny grunted knowingly under his breath. The smeared streaks of blood had begun to dry on his chin, but the roughened cuts inside his mouth were still trickling a tannic coppery tang. He was tired and distracted by the incessant ringing of Kono's phone and the bad taste which plastered across his tongue. Instead of reprimanding or pushing his partner even in jest, Danny swallowed, grimacing in distaste and using the back of his hand to wipe his lips. Both his chest and head ached with a fierceness only rivaled by the pain in his jaw. He could literally feel the localized throbbing sensation of heat as the bruise expanded across his jawline; a direct counterpoint to the cold air being blasted into his face.

"Hold on ... _wait_." Danny sat up slightly straighter as a fourth ring trilled into a sudden change and Kono's voice filled the cabin of the truck.

_"Steve. It's good to hear from you."_ Her tone was cautious, but her voice loud inside the tight space and Danny winced as he quickly used the controls on the steering column to lower the volume.

"No, it's me," Danny replied. His relief at hearing her finally answer had him sinking even deeper into the cushioned driver's seat. From where he was, he couldn't see a thing but he could manage the conversation and begin to understand the requirements of the pending negotiation while Steve stayed on point. With the call on speaker, he knew that Steve could easily hear each and every word, too. "What can we do out here to help? Is everyone okay so far in there - what does Devon want?"

_"Danny. Danny! It's good to hear you!"_ Kono's equally relieved sigh was unmistakable and he smiled to himself until he heard the strain, too. _"We're holding our own. But ... I have something to ask you." _There was no denying her tension, but she was gaining speed as she tried to control the conversation which Devon strongly objected.

In the background, Danny could hear Devon's deeper baritone and the anger as he suspiciously tried to over-rule her speech. Yet, Kono's voice held a certain tenacity which made him perk up despite how much his worry increased while she argued with her captor. She was literally fighting with Devon and fishing for something from him at the same; hoping that Danny would provide another layer of desperately needed information.

_"Devon, please just let me prove something to you!" _In one breath she was pleading with Hayashi's son and in another, she was rapid-firing a critical question Danny's way. "_Danny, we're talking about a bit of misunderstanding. From Devon's files, do you remember the reason he was placed in solitary a few months ago? Tell me why ... tell us why he was in solitary."_

"Solitary?" Danny gave a half-hearted shrug though no one could see him. Her point was an easy one; in fact, Devon's stint in solitary and how he'd not raised a single finger to his father the very first time Danny had met him, were of the same ilk. The inquisitive sound from Steve which reached him through the dual comm link nearly made Danny grin.

Neither Steve nor Kono were precisely convinced of his theories. And it would be harder to convince them now because of Danny's current condition and the obvious nature of the hostage situation. But Danny was still at least partially certain that he'd been right all along about the tip of this particular iceberg: Devon Hayashi might not be entirely perfect, nor wholly good. However, he wasn't a murderer. He had big anger management issues, but he wasn't inherently evil.

The fact which Danny believed was that Devon Hayaashi had been setup to take the felonious fall for someone else.

"Yeah," he stated clearly. "The warden stuck him in solitary for his own protection after he saved the life of a guard during a riot in the cafeteria. The man had been shot and Devon not only did CPR to keep him going, he kept other inmates away until help arrived. Our boy is technically a hero, but he wasn't exactly a popular guy with everyone else after that."

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	23. Chapter 23

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Notes:** thank you ALL - and especially the generous Guest(s) who are SO supportive of my story and writing in general. Once this story took a sharp turn, I was doubting its substance and if it made sense or was still an interesting read. So a **serious** thank you from me to you!

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

_"Have enough courage to trust love one more time and always one more time." _  
><em>― Maya Angelou<em>

_**Chapter Twenty-three: No Kau a Kau ~ For Eternity**_

Once Danny had obliged Kono's request, there was an absolute silence inside the house. The deafening period was like an agonizing prelude to something potentially terrifying and Danny was unable to keep waiting.

"Hello?" Danny triple-checked the connection to make sure it was still live. "Kono? Devon? Someone care to say something? Anything?"

He thought he heard a sound then; a sigh or maybe even a softly choked sob, but no more than that. Squinting upwards, Danny couldn't see any movement through the high rear windows. His angle was poor, the glare strong and the pounding in his head more than a simple inconvenience. Though the line was still open there was simply nothing to be heard. The next noise which eventually reached Danny through the truck's open window was the sound of a car's engine, the splatter of tires on torn up gravel, and then Chin's voice joined Steve's in his ear.

_"HPD is a about fifteen behind me."_ Chin's presence was instantly calming, providing Danny with the additional comfort he needed for Steve to have proper back-up. For both Kono and Makoa to have a better chance of making it safely beyond the precipice with Devon. _"What do we have? Any word from Kono?"_

"Thank God you're here," Danny said after he pressed the mute button on the cell phone for privacy. He weighed in quickly before Steve had a chance to answer. "So far everyone seems relatively okay. Devon's got Kono and his father upstairs in the kitchen; he's under duress, most likely armed and evidently trying to get Makoa to understand his side of things."

_"Danny's around back and hanging out in my truck managing the conversation,"_ Steve softly supplied the additional information from wherever he'd stationed himself. "_But we've got nothing but dead air since Danny helpfully advised Makoa the reason behind his son's stay in solitary."_

_"Interesting,"_ Chin whispered. _"I'm sure he wants more than just talk though. Steve? Where are you?"_

The disgusted snort which echoed through all the comm units was undeniably from Danny. The darkly mumbled words were typically four-letters in length, included the word _Camaro_, one mutilated-sounding _Neanderthal_, and none were technically fit for many ears.

_"Okay, then. That was apparently something I should have refrained from asking," C_hin chuckled almost too loudly, entirely amused by the tirade until he heard Danny again.

"Try the top deck or even the roof," Danny groused unhappily when Steve stayed annoyingly mute. He knew that he'd heard the tell-tale sign of a wooden squeak and could easily guess what his aggressive partner had been up to doing. "Steve gives new meaning to needing a bird's-eye-view. He's going to be exactly where I asked him _not_ to be."

There was a lull in their hurried conversation during which Danny grimaced in displeasure. The heat from the sun was beating down on his face through the windshield. It was so strong, that the air conditioning, even on full blast, was barely winning the battle. Danny was about to inquire again when he heard an agreeable sound right before Chin replied to substantiate the assumption.

_"Yup. Got him. Top deck on the far right ... he's under cover,"_ Chin confirmed, stressing the last few words to appease Danny, a smile evident in his tone. The resultant soft complaints were amusing to say the least. But Chin understood as he offered more in the way of his good-natured equable comments. _"Now, let's keep everyone whole and alive. What's the game plan?"_

Steve remained hunched down where he was on the top deck. He waved to Chin to quietly ascend the staircase gesturing for the man to join him so he could monitor the opposite corner. The manner in which the deck had been built provided for a short, shallow alcove along each side of the house. The space was a virtual waste and would have held recyclables, garbage pails or any other miscellaneous throw-aways, unless you were of course, Makoa Hayashi. On Steve's side, the sliver of deck was a neat jungle of potted ferns, exotic flowers and lush patio tomato plants. Steve would bet the same home-made garden of orderly vegetation would exist on the far side, as well. He had to be careful, side-stepping over ceramic pots and trays of plants, however it was worth his diligent care for the benefit of the small open window to the bathroom.

Though he couldn't precisely make out any actual words, except for what he gleaned from the cell phone and through Danny's chatter, he had been able to hear the murmur of overlapping voices from within the kitchen. While it certainly wasn't perfect, he was making due because what he did have through the tiny pane of glass was a partial view of Kono's left hand, one leg of the chair she sat in, and the shadow thrown across the room by Devon as he paced the floor.

Steve could tell that she'd been cuffed based upon her stiff posture and he certainly didn't approve. But what he did appreciate was her positioning in the room. Kono was farthest from the door and slightly shielded by the big wooden table. Based upon the shadowy outlines thrown by Devon, he was essentially closest to Steve with only the faintly yellowed siding of the actual house separating them. That left Makoa, and Steve rightly assumed that the Hayashi elder was closest to the front door and in the most tenuous of positions.

_"It's gone,"_ Danny's voice came over the comm link. He sounded worried and even a bit distressed. _"They cut the connection. I'll give it a few minutes and call back. Can you see or hear anything at all?_

"Sort of," Steve whispered as softly as he could. "Hold on ... give me a second. They're starting to argue again." He peered through the window, his ears drilling a veritable hole through the space in an attempt to pick up the words now being shared amongst the three.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

Devon stared at his father, eventually focusing on the man's damaged left hand. The great Makoa Hayashi and the near mythical story of how he'd been nearly killed by a great white shark flittered through his mind. He was the son of this legendary man but not truly cut from the same cloth. He knew he'd always been an embarrassment because just like most people, even Devon feared the reputation and choleric personality. Even now, all of those traits continued to come to the fore as Kono firmly repeated her request for him to be heard.

Devon winced as his father inhaled a snorted contemptuous sound. Makoa didn't care about the reasons behind his protective stint in solitary. In the grand scheme of things, that truth meant little. The guttural noise was a signal; another prelude to indifference. Nothing had changed from the rank odor of left-over tobacco inside the small but neat house, to his father's strict sense of honor. However, in Devon's reality, everything which had ever been important in his life had been irrevocably transformed.

"Listen to _him_?" Makoa choked out an unexpected laugh from where he sat at the head of the table. His hands were splayed wide as his son had insisted. Yet the fingers on his right hand flexed while his nails dug into the worn lines of the ancient wood. What remained of his left tapped a repetitive tattoo of sound. The timbre of his voice was sharp and it cut through the silence in the small room like a mocking challenge.

"Makoa, please," Kono whispered urgently, an unhappy frown creasing her forehead as Devon reacted badly in kind. She pulled vainly on her wrists out of nervousness, cursing her continued physical helplessness. Her heart had never stopped its uneven cadence from the moment Makoa had been forced to cuff her in place and now Devon was making her skittish. She shook her head imperceptiby, perturbed with herself for even giving Topher Reid a minuscule millisecond of her time. Angry even for allowing him to sneak back into her mind in order to make her as jumpy as a school girl. She wasn't drugged or unable to speak her mind; this room had windows and a door. Her team was outside and Devon Hayashi was certainly not a psychopath like Reid.

Leaning back in the chair, Kono relaxed her muscles one by one all the way down to her fingertips, surprised when she realized that her fingers had gone numb. "You seriously want me to listen to him?" Makoa growled nastily.

"I do," Kono declared. "You have to." His reaction to what Danny had shared about the prison guard wasn't at all what either she nor Devon had anticipated. For her part in the incredible situation, Kono was simply stunned to her core. But for Devon, a brief flare of hope that his father might listen to just one bit of decent news had been snuffed to nothing more than a black pile of ash.

"Is what Danny just said supposed to mean that I forgive him entirely? I have to listen to this ridiculous confession?" Though it wasn't entirely meant to be a jibe, his father's nervousness and inability to control his emotions with the outburst caused Devon's face to redden and his fingers to reflexively tighten just a bit more around the gun's grip.

"Why don't you ever listen to anyone?" Devon muttered in a disheartened tone. "Why? Why did I want to try?"

"You do have to give him a chance," Kono insisted. "You _have_ to because this time, it's not what you think and he needs this from you." Instead of heeding Kono's pleas, Makoa shook his head with a resolute stubbornness.

"Listen to what exactly? How _he_ was setup and wronged? How you think _he_ might have been pressured into confessing to something he didn't do? Is that what you're going to try to say next?" Makoa sneered derisively. "Whatever he's going to say ... it's too late. Especially with Iris gone ... it's all just too late."

Not knowing how Devon might react as his father literally voiced the cold truth and mourned his wife's passing, Kono remained tense, however, his father's final comments - spat out as angrily as they were - had already made that dangerous impact on his son. Devon was listening to every single word and as any tiny tendril of hope left him, he was falling back into a dark abyss. Kono jolted badly when her cell phone chimed again, vibrating in place on the table top. The three stared at the device and then two pairs of trapped eyes flew to Devon's face, yet he made no move to answer it.

"Hayashi-_san_, you need to listen for a change," Kono said, resorting to her usual honorific to communicate the man's need to be equally respectful. For a moment, she ignored the look on Makoa's face to blatantly study Devon. This time, she pleaded with the son for an ounce of residual patience from his incredibly obstinate, narrow-minded father.

He was breathing heavily though and seemingly frozen in place. He looked at Kono and seemed to understand her silent message. However, she couldn't read his expression or get a handle on what he might be thinking. Fearing the worst and that he was finally coming unhinged from the slim self-control he'd managed to maintain, Kono insisted on keeping his gaze, nodding her plea soothingly before carefully speaking her own mind.

"Yes," she replied just as calmly as before. "That's exactly right. Your son was setup and he did go to jail for something he didn't do, Makoa."

She gave a light shrug when Devon cocked his head in disbelief at her defense. She had his attention now and so, her gaze traveled back to Makoa's face. She was nothing but projecting a tranquil sense of calm to offset the sting of Makoa's skeptical tone. With every ounce of conviction she could muster, Kono resumed speaking directly to Makoa as if picking up their earlier conversation precisely where they had left off before Devon's arrival.

"Like I said before, Danny opened the files after Devon first showed up here; I followed through on a few key things. I found that there are definite inconsistencies with the witnesses and how the trial was conducted. Things are a bit ... _off," _Kono said as she snorted softly under her breath. "You asked me before if your father asked for our help? Actually no. He didn't ask us to do a single thing. We took it upon ourselves and found holes in your case ... holes in your defense ... and major gaps in your sentencing. I've been asking your father to listen to me on your behalf. Devon, I've been trying to have the same conversation with your father that you've been trying to have."

He didn't know to say to that revelation. The second paroxysm of silence seemed to threaten the room with a heavy blanket which smothered the very air in Devon's lungs. He stared in confusion at Kono and backed up one full step, shaking his head the entire time. He swallowed hard as if looking for the right words or even any words that might make sense before finding something to say out loud. "Why? Why would you do that?"

There was a chuffed snort of disgust from the elder Hayashi sitting at the table. From his view, his son continued to hold a gun to his head. He saw no value in what Kono or Danny had tried to communicate and now, he saw even less reason to listen to either of them. Devon shuddered inside at the sound which indicated his father's ongoing loathing. In response, Devon gestured wildly with the gun before glaring at Kono.

"See? He'll never listen," Devon's voice cracked and he gulped again, momentarily losing control of his emotions. His fingers spasmed around the gun's grip as sweat began to bead his forehead. "So why ... _why_ would you do that? You don't even know me."

"Because it's all of our job to get to the truth. So like I said, I've been asking your father to listen to me on your behalf," Kono repeated. Any number of additional, reasonable responses flooded her mind but she needed to select the best one. The one she selected was equivalent to dropping a bomb squarely in the middle of the rough-hewn table which separated them. "Why did we keep poking? I don't know ... maybe because one thing kept leading to another. Because, Devon, after what Danny and I found caused us to believe that you took the fall for Cade Keahi, the main boss for the gang you were involved with here in Oahu. The prosecutor was in on the take and you were forced to cut some sort of a deal in order to protect your father."

Kono watched as her words settled like a mantle across the space between them. Even Makoa perked up now, his once ironclad expression changing as he watched his son's reaction to Kono's explanation. He blinked and then heaved in a quizzical breath of air when nothing happened. Devon's face was covered in a sheen of sweat. Though his hand never wavered as the gun unerringly remained focused on his father, Devon was staring at Kono with an unreadable look.

"Is it true? This Keahi used me to threaten you?" Makoa finally asked. His voice had lost some of its harshness, yet the tone was guarded and not entirely convinced as he continued to look down the barrel of a gun. "Tell me, Devon ... is what Kono said the absolute truth?"

Devon nodded once, a quick jerk of his head followed with another agonized swallow as if he'd eaten glass. He had no idea how Five-0 had discovered the depths of this particular truth. Discussing Cade Keahi was more than he had ever wanted to mention to his father. The man had aimed to destroy his home and murder his parents should Devon not tow the line ... be the whipping boy ... for his greater plans. In the end, Devon had managed to sell his very soul without ever realizing it was happening until it was much too late. He'd played with fire and had been destroyed in the aftermath.

"It's why you came back isn't it?" Kono gently pushed to prove her own valid point, but she received nothing else in return. Her cell phone was ringing again, but this time, even she ignored it for the ground she was gaining. She ignored her stiff shoulders and the way the cuffs made her wrists feel. She felt that she was finally winning as she pushed carefully but persistently. Confessing and asking for his parents' forgiveness had been the core driver for Devon's return.

However, Iris's death had taken precedence. Still, they had managed to come full circle. For the moment, Devon's nod would have to do and she sighed since the son was so very much like the father. A lack of answer and an instant clouding of his face clearly supported the validity behind her question, yet Devon stubbornly wouldn't verbalize what he was really after.

Forgiveness. _Love_. Most of all ... _trust_.

"We can fix this," Kono insisted. "We can ... but as a first step, you both have to trust each other."

She hesitated, her mouth dry, in order to take in a deep breath of air, expelling it loud enough for father and son to look directly into her face. She had nothing else to really offer the two and so Kono took the opportunity to be completely blunt. "You both have to because it's what Iris would have wanted."

_**~ to be continued ~**_


	24. Chapter 24

**I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Notes:** thank you ALL - and especially the generous Guest(s) who are SO supportive of my story and writing in general. Once this story took a sharp turn, I was doubting its substance. So a serious thank you from me to you! Poor betas who will eventually hate me (KQ - CinderH - a quick pinch-hit by Fifilla) .. I'm sure of it .. the breakfast bunny had_ new ideas _this morning and because of that, I didn't actually _ask_ for a repeat beta read before posting.

I was forced to revamp things. Seriously **forced**!

And a final heads up that (with luck and a violent thumping of dastardly rabbits), there should be one chapter left to go.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

_"Have enough courage to trust love one more time and always one more time." _  
><em>― Maya Angelou<em>

_**Chapter Twenty-four: No Kau a Kau ~ For Eternity**_

On the heels of Kono's short speech, her cellphone blared for the umpteenth time. She didn't need to look to confirm who was calling because it could only be one person. Yet, her eyes dropped to the device as a clue to Devon to act. However, he was deflating at a rapidly anti-climactic pace. He slowly backed away, his hip eventually connecting with the side of the stove. With an odd grunt, he slid down to sit on the floor with his knees drawn up to his chest.

"Devon?" In his own distress, Makoa mangled his son's name, startled to his feet at the clatter of the gun slipping from the younger man's fingers when it dropped to the floor near his thigh. He watched, dumbfounded, when Devon's head sank into his knees, his upper body wracked with a series of severe shudders.

"The phone. Answer it on speaker and open the door," Kono hissed softly to Makoa while she kept a prudent eye turned towards his son. Her shoulders were beginning to burn from the stress, not only caused by her position, but her strong will to move. "Quietly ... softly ... _carefully_. But do it!"

She might have been worried about the father being overly hasty and reckless, but he was as emotionally stunned as the son. Instead, he gave a curt nod and was nothing but cautious even for his overly large size. His hand shook as he tapped the speaker icon while shoving the phone closer towards Kono, before he was on the move to remove the heavy chair used to block the door. Then, he was opening it wide, flooding the room with sunlight and blinking back tears which he blamed on the change in brightness.

_"Devon?"_ The sound of Danny's relieved voice was instantaneous, leaving Kono to interrupt his worried questions as she announced her own set of demands.

"It's over. Tell Steve to get in here before that changes; Makoa's already opened the door." Kono spoke quickly, though she continued to speak evenly to clearly indicate her desire that they all remain highly organized and very calm. She heard Danny's relieved acknowledgement and his orders to compound her own, but both Steve and Chin could hear her through the open communications links. When she looked up next, they were already in the doorway.

Kono watched as Steve appeared first with a shocking rapidity to practically toss the older Hayashi safely into Chin's waiting hands.

"Chin!" Kono whispered as another flood of relief made her tremble. She had to fight back a very real surge of emotion when she glimpsed her cousin. However, Makoa hesitated, pulling strongly away from Chin's hands to straddle the doorframe to his home, his eyes darkly black but his good hand nearly wringing the remaining fingers on his left.

"He ... I don't know ...," Makoa whispered, unsure of what to do or how to help, he was inexplicably concerned about Devon. He spun in place, grabbing for Chin's arm as Steve began to secure the scene. "I should stay ... I need to stay with him."

"Not now. We need room and you need to stay out here," Chin demanded, supplanting Makoa with his own body as a buffer should things change. However, based upon Devon's defeated posture and Steve's assertive stance, nothing more was going to occur that day.

Steve's eyes were unrelenting as he absorbed what was laid out before him. He catalogued Kono's cuffed hands but relatively stalwart demeanor despite the tears in her eyes, the distraught Devon who sat limply on the floor, and the weapon laying now so placidly on the hardwood floor. Within that next split second, he had retrieved the revolver, automatically removing it from the equation.

"He's got mine too," Kono stated more roughly than she intended. With her hands still trapped behind her, she was beginning to fight her emotions and she wound up using her chin to indicate the rear of Devon's jeans.

"Up, let's go," Steve said, as he hauled Devon to his feet, securing her police issued pistol and easily cuffing the unresisting younger Hayashi.

_"We good in there?"_ Danny's voice echoed throughout the room. _"Someone talk to me and let me know for sure what's going on. HPD's just arriving."_

"It's all good, Danny," Chin confirmed as he circled around his cousin to unfasten her handcuffs. He glanced towards Steve first though, a brief frown flitting across his features when Steve raised a warning finger and pointed meaningfully to the phone. With a start, Chin suddenly realized the added purport of having had an ambulance requested on site. In fact, until that moment, he hadn't fully considered the true reason behind Danny remaining behind in Steve's truck even though it made sense that he manage the initial negotiations.

"Make sure he stays in the truck," Steve noted from over his shoulder as he left with Devon in hand, thrusting the cuffed young man in front of him and out the door.

"It's fine ... we're coming out. No need to come up here," Chin added more definitively. "I'm shutting down the phone; you got us on the comm, brah."

With that, he ended the connection on the wireless device and bent down to focus on Kono. "How're you doing, cuz?" Chin said, smiling softly to offset the nervous tension she was so loudly communicating.

"Get these things off me," Kono's voice was strained and it cracked unexpectedly as Chin's fingers connected with her wrists. Now that the standoff was over and only Chin was with her, she was near tears as first one link and then the other sprang free. As soon as she got to her feet, Chin didn't even ask as he swung her around and gathered her tightly into his arms. They were alone and he had guessed an understandable reaction above and beyond that of being held hostage.

"It's okay," she whispered into his chest. Yet her arms had gone around to his back and she was almost seeking to hide herself inside his body as a second skin. "I'm good, really. I am."

"I know," Chin answered just over Kono's muffled voice. In the safety of his arms, she trembled as she took the time to cry. "Blame it on me; I needed a good hug today from my favorite cousin," he whispered softly.

**H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O***

After Chin terminated the connection, Danny rocked his head tiredly back into the deep cushion of the truck's driver's seat. He was both surprised and relieved that the standoff with Devon had been so easy. He could only assume that whatever he had said about Devon's protective stint in solitary confinement had opened a new advantageous door for Kono. That thoughtful respite only lasted a mere five seconds though, until the first of three HPD units pulled up to the front of the house, lights on and sirens dying as if perfectly planned.

Danny could just see the men beginning to convene from where he was sitting, including the silhouette of Makoa as he hung plaintively off to the side. Though he couldn't quite see everything, it was an easy assumption that the rest of his team would be handing Devon off to the HPD contingent for processing. Danny frowned unhappily as he rubbed the burn which sat squarely in the center of his chest. It was no lie that he didn't feel well. Because of that, he was well aware that he could have been seriously injured, or maybe even killed. Nonetheless, he wasn't entirely convinced that he wished more ill on Makoa's son; even if his feelings were just a bit misplaced based upon his respect for Makoa, himself.

That activity, coupled with finally seeing that Steve was now on a light jog back towards the workshop with a white uniformed medic on his heels, was enough for Danny to kill the truck's engine and use his left foot to help his hand toe-open the door. He slid out, grimacing as his feet hit the ground and he unexpectedly wound up sitting on the running board. No, he certainly didn't feel well but the concept of dealing with an ambulance that would drop him squarely in the emergency room and quite literally on young Doctor Lennon's doorstep, wasn't something he cared to consider.

"I'm fine," Danny lied to himself anyway, a weak glare aimed at Steve just for show as both he and the medic reached his side. "This is completely unnecessary," he complained. Though it certainly was as his jaw throbbed hotly in time to a pulse point in his throat.

"It's very necessary," Steve argued back with a stricter tone and Danny shook his head, a grimace of pain flitting across his eyes. Of course, his partner would have requested medical support in case the hostage situation had taken a turn for the worse. Danny knew better though; the medics had been prescribed first for _him_ and then secondly, should something else go south during the altercation. But as the heavy-set medic dropped his case near where he braced himself on the running board, Danny couldn't help his personal affront. He was disgusted with himself and utterly resentful of being poked and prodded or needing another stay in the hospital with his trio of eager physicians.

"Then you won't mind if the man checks you out," Steve restated more definitively, nearly daring Danny to argue the point as he misread Danny's self-distress as a real refusal. "Meet Larry Keller, one of two esteemed EMT's who already know you were out of it for a good few minutes, Danno. You got knocked hard and I'm ordering you to cooperate."

"Fine," Danny groused as he met Larry's amused eye and wide grin. "Have at it." He didn't return the more pleasant expression as he acquiesced to the care. There was no apology either from Steve, as he backed up to give the medic room to work.

"Detective," Larry said cheerily before he hunkered down and focused on his latest patient. "I'm just going to do the basics to check you out ... with any luck, you'll be well on your way."

Though it caused his head to ache, Danny managed a nod as he offered Larry his arm. Within seconds, a blood pressure cuff was wrapped around his bicep and he was being subjected to queries about his aches, pains and general well-being. With nothing to do but allow the man to do his job, Danny leaned more heavily back into the side of the truck and closed his eyes. Without the benefits of the air-conditioning, sweat was trickling down his back and pooling low on his waist. He was uncomfortable and simply wished himself away, however he had limited choices in the matter.

When Chin appeared from the front of the house, Steve removed himself a few more feet away from where Danny was sitting. He stayed close and stoically watched every poke and prod which Larry subjected his stressed partner to while Chin quietly provided his update.

"Kono's with Makoa," Chin said, his eyes on Danny the entire time he brought Steve up-to-speed. "She wants to make sure that he and Devon have some support, regardless of what just went down. She's planning on accompanying them to the station." Chin shook his head, running his fingers through his hair as his only signs of frustration. He was silent for a moment, watching Larry cater to Danny's needs, but clearly searching for the right words.

"What happened?" Steve prompted. He wasn't overly pleased with Kono's decision, but he could understand her choice. However what Chin described next drove home the true source of his reasoning and Steve literally gasped out loud.

"It wasn't loaded," Chin murmured. He shrugged exaggeratedly when Steve peered incredulously at him, his hands flapping wildly as if to give more credence to his physical reaction. "Devon's gun ... it was completely empty. Not a single bullet in the chamber or on his body."

"You're kidding," Steve breathed out in surprise. "Empty?"

In a weird way, it made sense even though the fact was still surprising. Steve's forehead crinkled as a disapproving frown hardened the look to his face. Almost distractedly now, he stared blindly at Larry who was tracing his fingers gently over the sensitive skin on Danny's sternum where Devon's booted foot had sent him sprawling backwards. Danny was holding a chemical ice pack to his bruised jaw. But Steve's angry scowl increased when his friend winced away, nearly slapping at Larry's hand to forestall the gentle probing. The truth was an odd conundrum of violence and yet a fervent desire to just be _heard_.

"I'm not sure I even know what to do or recommend at this point," Chin softly admitted. Kono had explained Devon's devastation about learning of his mother's death; she had described Makoa's confusion of hostility, purported attempts at contacting his son, and then the ultimate emotional admissions of the two. Combined with what the Five-0 team had learned about Devon's arrest, trial and sentencing, the case was undeniably strange.

"This is messed up," Steve groaned under his breath. He could already make some assumptions of his own regarding how Kono or Danny might want to treat Devon Hayashi regardless of the day's much too recent experiences. However, Steve wasn't ready to consider any discussion about the handling of the younger Hayashi as Larry Keller placed both hands on Danny's shoulders as if insisting he remain seated.

"How is he?" Steve demanded as Larry joined him and Chin. He pointed in confusion from where Danny was sitting to Larry's partner who was not quite committing to bringing a gurney down the short stretch of yard. "He lost consciousness for a good five, maybe ten, minutes after he got punched. He's still recovering from other injuries. You're going to load him up aren't you?"

"I would, but he's declining further medical assistance," the medic replied, an apologetic smile making his lips twitch. "He answered most of the standard questions well enough until I got to one in particular. In case you weren't aware, the Detective doesn't quite know what day of the week it is. He's rather insistent that today is Tuesday."

It was apparent that Larry didn't entirely approve of his temporary charge's refusal, however if the patient declined help, he had little choice or say in the matter. His long-winded explanation requested Steve's direct intervention as he gestured towards his own partner and the empty gurney near the ambulance. "It's clear that the doesn't feel well and he's slightly concussed. Even if he seemed better than he was right now, based on his recent injuries, I'd strongly suggest that he go in to get checked out. But I can't force him to do that and his vitals are stable enough."

The tone was nearly a plea for someone of sounder mind to intercede and Steve nodded in agreement.

"Uh huh. Refusing? That's not going to work." Steve's not quite humorous rebuttal emanated far enough to reach Danny's ears, yet the dazed man refused to look up from where he studied the clods of dirt closest to his sneakers. The earlier sarcastic comment, stated well before Devon surrendered and about how they were spending a Tuesday afternoon, was telling indeed. Especially, as Keller so aptly noted, _it wasn't Tuesday at all._

No, refusing medical care wasn't in Danny's cards on that _Thursday_ afternoon. In truth though, his partner knew better and would never jeopardize his own healthy recovery. Therefore, Steve thoughtfully began to consider a new set of clues suddenly gaining a better handle on the emotional situation as he followed Danny's bleary gaze to the HPD units.

"Understood," Steve breathed out softly, completely changing gears, to not only Larry's chagrin, but to Chin's as well. "Thanks for coming out here Larry," he murmured dismissively. "You can pack it up."

"Steve?" Chin spoke at the same time as the baffled medic, the two nearly blurting their combined confusion simultaneously.. "He has to go in."

"Excuse me?" Larry hesitated, his entire demeanor full of an incomprehensible sense of disbelief. "Sir? You can't be serious?" He had wanted help and assumed he'd had it, not something which now sounded suspiciously like another refusal for proper care.

"I'll take him in to see Fratelli," Steve clarified his decision for each man because he thought that he did understand. Chin cocked his head quizzically, momentarily quieting as he considered the somewhat strange option. He listened closely as Steve peppered the medic with a new set of questions. "He's stable? Not in danger of anything being wrong? _Broken_ for example ... anything with his ribs from that kick, or ... even his head?" Steve pushed more definitively to ensure his choice was sound enough.

"No. At least not obviously to me. " Keller was frowning in disapproval as he replied. His face contorted in an odd way that was both humorous and confused. "He should have a few x-rays to confirm ... I can only tell that he's bruised for sure. He's rattled but mostly with it, and his vitals are decent."

"Good," Steve murmured. He was sure that he understood now. At least mostly sure and maybe closer to the truth. Danny's denial was of a prideful nature or maybe he wasn't precisely on the mark either with that quick judgement. As Steve tried to figure out his partner's expression, he slowly settled on something else as Danny closed his eyes to lean tiredly back against the truck. Even though half his face was hidden by an ice pack, he was easily communicating _something_ without actually speaking.

_Disappointment? Frustration? _Regardless of putting the right name to define it, Steve felt that he at least was choosing the right course of action.

"Yeah, I'll take him in myself," Steve repeated as he stared long and hard at his partner before he turned entirely towards Larry. "Thanks for checking him out; if he's relatively stable, I'll take him to see his physician right now."

He placed an appreciative hand on Keller's shoulder before communicating a silent command to Chin to manage the crime scene. What was left of it anyway in Makoa's small house. Danny's eyes were still closed as Steve walked back over to where he was sitting. He allowed his backlit shadow the job of forcing Danny's rueful murmur of acknowledgement. But before he could say more, Steve held his hand out to help his friend to his feet.

"We'll call Doctor Fratelli on the way," Steve stated plainly, a smile lurking below the surface of his tone. "Keller says you're good to go; but you have to see your primary doctor right away. If we don't get him for whatever reason, then we'll call Ramirez." There was no ignoring the immediate change in Danny's expression as Steve cupped his elbow to guide him around the front of the truck to the passenger seat. The decision was quite sound as Danny wordlessly settled himself back in the truck with an utterly relieved sigh.

The air conditioning was back on full, the vents positioned again to hit him directly in the face. His hair moved in the strong air current and it was almost too much to border on being uncomfortable, yet the temperature soothed his skin so he didn't completely object. Danny waited though to ask his question until they were on the highway. Then he waited even longer as Steve contacted Doctor Fratelli on his behalf to advise the newly concerned physician of their pending arrival.

"Steve?" He asked, his voice slightly slurred from the swelling and large ice pack rocked sturdily into the side of his face.

"Yeah?" Steve replied, a side-long questioning glance sent across the gap. "You okay?"

"So, if it's not Tuesday, then what day of the week is it?" Danny had one murky eye aimed his way. He was hurting and almost listless in the bucket seat. But he still had enough energy to purse his lips defensively as Steve's smile beamed with amusement across the short distance between them.

"What day?" He chuckled softly as he answered, the sound increasing in volume based on the heaviness of Danny's perturbed sigh. He waited a millisecond before patiently replying through a smile that wouldn't quit as he continued their drive to the hospital to meet Doctor Fratelli. "It's Thursday, buddy. All day."

_**~ to be continued ~**_


End file.
